Is there any safe drug or herb to help me curb my appetite?

While your local drug store probably has an aisle lined with appetite suppressants, your best bet is to steer clear. The ingredients in these supplements are not tested or approved by The Food and Drug Administration, so no one is keeping a close eye on their safety or effectiveness. You might also remember several appetite-suppressing prescription drugs that were approved but then pulled off the market because they caused life-threatening heart and lung damage.

Your best bet for an appetite suppressant doesn’t come in a pill. Eating balanced and structured meals and snacks, drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and regularly exercising is your best bet for controlling your appetite. Skipping meals is one the biggest reasons why people tend to overeat. Providing your body with a consistent form of fuel throughout the day helps to prevent wide swings in your blood sugar. Also try to distinguish between true “hunger” – the physiological craving for food and “appetite” - the psychological desire to eat. You may notice that you are often eating out of habit rather than hunger.

So, save your money and invest in lifelong, healthful eating habits!

Take care,

Lisa Tartamella

-- Lisa Tartamella, M.S., R.D., CD-N, manages ambulatory nutrition services at Yale-New Haven Hospital's Centers of Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and wellness counseling to both adult and pediatric patients.

First published February 3, 2005
Last updated January 23, 2008
Copyright © 2005 Consumer Health Interactive