Nancy Dell: Best Appetizers; Lack of Sleep Increases Appetite

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) -  

1. I am in charge of appetizers for our Holiday Party and we want to keep it healthy. What are the healthiest appetizers?
Melinda, W. Springfield

Many appetizers can be 50 to 100 calories a bite. Nibble on 10 appetizers before a meal and you know you are probably no longer hungry but will still eat dinner.

Obviously that can pile on the pounds but overeating also can thicken your blood and put you at risk for a heart attack.

So here are 6 ideas that will please your taste buds and leave room for dinner. 

1. Healthier appetizers
2. Shrimp with a little cocktail sauce Vegetables dipped in hummus
3. Smoked salmon on a whole wheat pita with low fat cream cheese
4. Mushrooms stuffed with crab
5. Turkey meatballs
6. Scallops wrapped in bacon. Make the bacon the low fat kind if you can but the third of a slice of bacon will only add 10 calories

Notice that generally, seafood keeps it healthy.

What are some of the worst appetizers? Anything wrapped in a pastry, like pigs in a blanket or little quiche, or things with globs of cheese. A piece of cheese the size of my thumb is 110 calories.

2. Can poor sleep make me hungrier? 
Katie, E. Longmeadow

Yes, according to a recent study published in the Journal Sleep, poor sleep can make you eat more. But how it makes you eat more is different in men and women.

Researchers had 27 normal-weight men and women sleep for 4 hours or 9 hours. In men, short sleep increased levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin, making them eat more. In women, short sleep reduced levels of the hormone that makes us feel full called GLP-1 so they also ate more.

So simply put, the common problem of wanting to overeat due to a lack of sleep is related to increased appetite in men and reduced feelings of fullness in women.

As you can see, the way our body regulates our appetite and weight is really complex and we still have much to learn.

In the meantime, do all you can to get a good night's sleep.