The 6 Worst Things to Eat When You're Starving

Why you shouldn't eat it right now: An apple or a pear alone won't quash hunger, says Tamara Melton, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the founder and director of LaCarte Wellness, in Atlanta. Even though the sugar in fruit gets digested more slowly than the sugar from candy, due to the fruit's fiber, "a piece of fruit isn't going to take you far." For that, you need to add some protein—it's digested slowly, and, research shows, it suppresses ghrelin, the "hunger hormone" that tells your brain to keep eating.

Make it better: Add nuts, string cheese or a nut butter. Or try mixing fruit with cottage cheese or Greek yogurt and you'll feel the hunger pangs start to fade.