Good info to know...except I can not eat grapefruit and tomatoes because of acid. I will try to implement some of these ideas....thanks!

Wow.... Great information. I've added several "nuggets" to my "Book of Odd Knowledge" from your studies and research.

-As an unrepentant cheapskate, forget the expensive probiotic supplements and make your own you can consume as a food or beverage - as nature can provide it. I make dairy kefir and water kefir for probiotics, which are also better for you than yogurt (for a number of reasons I won't address in this post), and cost a fraction of the price. Dairy kefir can be used in recipes calling for buttermilk, and when you drain the kefir curd it can be used for sour cream, cream cheese, and plain yogurt - so it's versatile as well. I use the water kefir in place of high-glycemic fruit juice (I flavor 1-quart with 1/4 c. of fruit like pineapple or blueberries) and can even make a root beer version as a pop/soda alternative. It has a fraction of the sugar because the sugar is consumed during fermentation, plus this tasty beverage has all the "good stuff" from the probiotics. If you want a tasty dessert treat, use some dairy kefir grains, used to make dairy kefir, to ferment coconut milk. The value of using real kefir grains (both water and dairy grains) is that you use them over and over. They are living sources of bacteria that continue to grow and make more, so you never run out of them.

-Don't forget coconut oil. A little taste of it, swirled in your mouth just before swallowing it, will take care of those sneaky sugar cravings.

Here's a list of foods that can actually MAKE you hungry:

-wholegrain bread (converts to sugar and is high-glycemic)

-cold cereal (converts to sugar and is high-glycemic)

-most fruit (Nutritional benefits, but not all fruit will help suppress your appetite (apples and grapefruit are some exceptions). Plus, fruit contains fructose and glucose, which won't signal insulin, causing your appetite to rage on. Consume fruit with some protein, not by itself.)

-yogurt containing sugar (Use plain yogurt and add some nuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or pepitas -- better yet, switch to homemade dairy kefir. Both plain yogurt and kefir can be flavored and sweetened with stevia - I like lemon stevia, coconut stevia, pomegranate & blueberry stevia added to plain kefir or yogurt... Stevia comes in lots of flavors.)

-smoothies - Drinking your calories won't fill you up compared to whole, chewable food. If you do drink smoothies, be sure to literally "chew" them before swallowing and add some protein (protein powder, nut butter, Great Lakes Gelatin Powder - in the green box, the non-gelling kind). Digestion begins in the mouth when food is masticated. Therefore, gulping your food/calories, you will miss the important first step in the process and it takes longer for your brain to register you are full. Smoothies can also be full of high-glycemic carbohydrates and huge amounts of sugars.

-pretzels - Carb-heavy, low-protein - another "bet you can't eat just one" food.

-flavors - Too many flavors in one meal can increase appetite and calorie intake.

-alcoholic beverages - Alcohol lowers inhibitions - so eat before you drink, and remember, alcohol is another word for "sugar".

-sushi - An easy way to eat 500 calories - times 3, or 4, or more.....

-frozen yogurt - Laced with sugar and is simply empty calories. At least real ice cream has a lower glycemic impact from the fat in the cream, and usually less sugar.

-Grainlady

Love to see this good information! But I do have to comment on the serious DRUG INTERACTIONS WITH GRAPEFRUIT. Be very aware about these issues before deciding to begin eating grapefruit every day.

Rhizo: I'm glad that you brought that up. Thanks. I re-post the info. on grapefruit interaction below.

Grainlady: I'm so lucky to have your valuable info. THANK YOU. I agree that homemade probiotics (Kefir, sauerkraut) is best. Long-shelf storage at the store DECREASE the number of viable bacteria. Some yogurt have artificial sugar added (aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol) ... these sugar-substitute are known to INCREASE the bad bacteria, and ZAP out the good bacteria.

Men's Health has an excellent article on how certain medications mixed with certain food/drink can have a deadly effect & toxic: http://www.menshealth.com/health/

1. Limes and cough medicine. You may have heard not to drink grapefruit juice with some prescriptions, including cholesterol-lowering statins. But limes, pomelos, and Seville oranges—although not the more-common navel and Valencia varieties—also may block an enzyme that breaks down statins and other drugs, including the cough suppressant dextromethorphan ... this includes hallucinations and sleepiness; in statins, you may sustain severe muscle damage.

2. Dairy products and antibiotics. Some antibiotics, including Cipro, bind to calcium, iron, and other minerals in milk-based foods. “This prevents the absorption of the antibiotics, ultimately decreasing their ability to fight infections,” Gullickson says. When you get a new prescription for acne or an infection, ask if the drug falls into a class known as tetracyclines or flouroquinolones. If so, avoid milk, yogurt, and cheese 2 hours before and after taking the pills.

3. Smoked meats and antidepressants. Check the label on your happy pills. If they belong to a class called monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs—brand names Marplan, Nardil, Emsam, or Parnate—combining them with foods rich in the amino acid tyramine can cause life-threatening spikes in blood pressure, says Gullickson. Unfortunately, the list of no-nos includes not only summer sausage and smoked salmon, but also red wine, sauerkraut, hot dogs, aged cheeses, soy sauce, and draft or home-brewed beer.

4. Chocolate and Ritalin. Besides caffeine, chocolate also contains a stimulant called theobromine, says Tom Wheeler, Pharm.D. (It’s the reason chocolate harms dogs—canine bodies can’t break it down.) Combining all these stimulants in humans can potentially lead to erratic behavior and seizures.

5. Apple juice and allergy meds. Nix the nectar from apples, oranges, and grapefruits if you take Allegra (fexofenadine) for hay fever—at least within 4 hours of swallowing the pill, Gullickson advises. The resulting lack of absorption makes Allegra up to 70 percent less effective; lay off these juices while taking the antibiotics Cipro or Levaquin, the thyroid medication Synthroid, or the allergy and asthma treatment Singulair, Gullickson says.

6. Cinnamon and warfarin. People taking the blood-thinning medication warfarin—prescribed to prevent or treat clots—have long been warned to keep their intake of vitamin K steady, says Wolfe. This means you shouldn’t change your weekly intake of foods like leafy greens or broccoli; because vitamin K plays a key role in clotting, doing so could affect the thickness of your blood. But there’s another risk. Cassia cinnamon, the kind on most American grocery-store shelves, contains high levels of a compound called coumarin that can thin blood and potentially cause liver damage, says Eric Newman, M.D

7. Alcohol and acetaminophen. Resist the urge to wash down your Tylenol with a cold one—your body uses the same enzyme to break down the two substances.

http://www.menshealth.com/health/