Can I lose weight without hunger?

Q: I’ve set a weight-loss goal of 50 pounds this year, but in the past when I’ve dieted, I felt hungry all the time. I read that cutting “ultraprocessed” foods could help me lose and block hunger. Is that true?

A: It certainly is! Nixing factorymade products with a long list of additives is one of the most effective weight-loss strategies. Case in point: Researchers at California’s Pomona College found that people who ate a minimally processed cheese sandwich (think: real cheese on wholegrain bread) torched almost twice as many calories post-meal as folks who ate an ultra-processed one (think: processed cheese on white bread) with the same number of calories.

Here’s why: Quick-digesting carbs in highly processed foods signal the body to store calories as fat. This starves muscle cells of the fuel they need to function, tricking the brain into thinking you’re not getting enough food. The effect is so powerful that a study in the journal Cell Metabolism found that women who nixed ultra-processed foods subconsciously ate 500 fewer calories per day, losing 1 pound a week without trying.

Q

My migraines are so disruptive! Are there any natural ways to get them under

control?

A

The next time you feel a migraine coming on, sip a cup of cinnamonginger tea. Research suggests combining the two spices in the warming brew can head off symptoms as effectively as Rx meds.

According to a study in Phytotherapy Research, “Ceylon” cinnamon (the type that’s highest in eugenol, the compound credited with the spice’s painrelieving effects) reduces the frequency, severity and duration of migraines by reducing inflammatory markers that trigger an attack. Meanwhile, compounds in ginger block burgeoning headaches as effectively as the prescription migraine drug sumatriptan, according to a study in Phytotherapy Research.

To do: Steep one bag each of cinnamon tea and ginger tea in a mug of hot water for 5 minutes. Enjoy!