Fullness or Satiety

Do you think fullness and satiety are the same? The physical weight of food in our stomach, that is about the size of our clenched fist, is fullness. But… the emotional experience is satiety that equals satisfaction. That is why we are not satisfied with lettuce, even if we eat a very large bowl. It is also the reason we occasionally have difficulty “satisfying” our hunger, going from fridge to cabinet to freezer back to fridge. We are attempting to fill an emotional hunger. Some foods fill and satisfy us (and they can be nutritious too. Do you have any foods like that? Here’s a photo of mine…

Post-Breakfast Blood Sugar Drop

You know that shaky, jittery feeling you sometimes get midmorning after eating a hard roll with butter and a cup of coffee? If you reach for a sugary donut to get a quick sugar boost, your “good feeling” will be very temporary, followed by rapid blood sugar drop. Start your day with some protein and fiber to fill you up and keep your blood sugar even for hours. Kick that sugar craving junkie away. How about a hard-boiled egg (you can make in advance), whole grain toast and a piece of fruit? You can even pack that and take it with you to save time. I’ve got all your excuses covered…

Peppermint and Hunger

Just as the aroma of food wafting through the air can entice us to eat, smelling peppermint can distract you from hunger and you tend to eat less. A study done by psychologist Bryan Raudenbush, a professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, concluded that peppermint scent may also control cravings from emotional hunger. Eating peppermint candy or chewing gum does not work, so use peppermint oil.

Mindful Eating or Diets

Do you have rules about how much to eat, when to eat and how much you should weigh or do you listen to your body? Mindful eating is about attention and intention… paying close attention to your hunger signals and stopping when just full enough and the intention of fully enjoying each bite. No strict rules, measurements, scales… yet if you need to lose weight, you do. Which sounds better to you? Dieting or mindful eating?

Eat Less with Aromatherapy

Here’s an interesting use for vanilla extract that may help you to eat less. Inhaling the aroma of the extract right before eating a meal can fool your brain into thinking you’ve eaten more than you actually have. Alan Hirsch M.D., founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation states that smelling the aroma helps you to lose your sensory excitement earlier and cues your body to feel content sooner, so you end up eating less. Interesting… I am going to try it. How about anyone else?

Clench Your Fist and Cut the Cravings

As you are craving that yummy piece of chocolate cake, try clenching your fist and tightening your arm muscles. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research done at the University of Chicago, indicated that muscle tightening when aligned with your goals (healthier eating) helps with self-control dilemmas. The authors of the study state that the mind-body are so closely tied together that engaging these bodily actions can serve as a non-conscious source to recruit willpower. Interesting concept! If you have sugar cravings, give it a try.

Emotional Hunger

When you head into the kitchen in the evening for something to snack on, are you really hungry? If your belly is empty and grumbling, eat something you enjoy that also nourishes your body. But if the “hunger” developed suddenly and you have a “taste” for something, rather than a true hunger, ask yourself what you are really feeding. Are you bored, anxious, tired, upset? Emotional hunger is not even satisfied by food, so what can you do instead?

Snacking Success

With the cost of food going up and salaries not rising at the same rate, many families buy in bulk. If being bored or upset can send you to the pantry, stopping after “one serving” out of a big container is very difficult because we are not eating from true belly hunger. The hunger we are trying to fill is emotional and will not be satisfied by food, but we try… and try… and try… sometimes until the container is empty, much to our horror! When you first bring the BIG package home, fill multiple small snack packs and SEAL the big package closed. Planning ahead always works.

Serve from the Kitchen & Eat Less

Keep the food on the counter or stove in the kitchen and fill your plate from there. Bringing the food into the dining room will likely mean a 19% increase in the amount of food that you will consume. According to Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating, having food at least 6 feet away gives us a chance to stop and ask if we are really hungry enough to go back for more. Better to be mindful…

Changing Your Bad Eating Habits

Identifying your challenge areas in eating will benefit you in changing those habits. Do you stuff yourself at meals? Do you eat quickly at your desk? Do you dine out often, choosing high-fat, high-calorie meals? Do you snack frequently, even though you’re not really hungry? You may fit into one or more of these areas. Keep track by writing down what you eat, who you are with and what you were feeling at the time… for just 3 days. What will you find?

Avoid the All-or-Nothing Trap in Eating

Many people attempt a new healthy eating plan, only to become discouraged and abandon it when they aren’t “perfect”. Adopting a healthy eating plan is a gradual, lifelong process, so to avoid the all or nothing trap, try the 80-20 technique. Plan to eat healthy, whole foods 80% of the time with 20% leeway for vacations, holidays and socials gatherings. If you can fit in more than 80%, superb! If you are going to a 4th of July BBQ, don’t stress, enjoy!

Adding Foods for Weight Loss

If weight loss is a goal, instead of focusing on the foods that you need to cut out of your diet, start adding all of the tasty fruits and veggies that are abundant this time of year. Add new grains like quinoa, amaranth, barley, bulgur and spelt. Experiment with recipes and cooking classes that feature healthy, whole foods. Expanding rather than limiting your choices is the key to successful weight management. What new or healthy, interesting food have you tried?

Losing Body Fat

Losing body fat is a gradual process. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, using a linoleic-acid rich oil, such as safflower oil daily (1 teaspoon) decreased fat composition of women by 6.3%. Here is a yummy citrus salad dressing using safflower oil: 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 3 tbsp safflower oil. Whisk together; season with salt and pepper. Makes about 1/3 cup. From Jennifer Chandler, author of Simply Salads.

Too Much TV Makes You Fat

If your plan to unwind tonight includes lounging in front of the TV, you may want to limit the time. According to the Nurses’ Health Study, for every 2 hours spent watching TV, the risk of obesity goes up 23%! The positive spin is that you can lower that risk: for every 2 hours spent standing or walking in the home, it decreases the risk of obesity by 9%. Pick out your favorite show, enjoy it- before or after walking the dog or gardening or doing the laundry (yuk), or… what keeps you active?

Breakfast Fill Up

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Did it include fiber and protein? Having a food with fiber for breakfast keeps you feeling full longer and maintains your blood sugar level. Protein takes longer to digest, also keeping you full longer. People who eat breakfast consume fewer calories throughout the day. Try steel cut oats with fruit and nuts. You can even make the oats ahead and heat in the microwave for rushed mornings. Experiment with different fruits and nuts. What’s your favorite?

You’re Thin, I’m Not, How Come?

How do thin people stay thin? One of the success strategies for people who have lost weight and continue to maintain that weight loss is to find healthy foods they really like and stick to them. According to a study published in the journal Obesity, when new behavior becomes automated, you will choose that behavior by default, even when stressed or fatigued. So if you like turkey on whole wheat, make that your lunch stand-by. I love organic raisin bran and organic fat-free milk for breakfast. What do you like to eat?

Emotional Hunger

Everyone experiences emotional hunger occasionally, but recognizing the telltale signs helps with awareness and managing it. Emotional hunger typically comes on suddenly, isn’t related to a hungry stomach, usually causes craving a specific food or type of food and even after you eat, the void isn’t filled, so you could continue eating. Eating can make you feel better…temporarily. When can you do instead of eating? What has worked for you?