Trying to eat healthier? Figure out what satisfies you

​Eating is a complicated activity. We eat for physical reasons such as to give our body energy, nutrients, and satisfy hunger. But we also eat for reasons that have nothing to do with the body – pleasure, social, cultural, emotional, entertainment. When you go on a diet and tell yourself that you can’t enjoy food for non-physical reasons, you can only maintain that for so long before the mind rebels and you end up on the diet hamster wheel. Eating for non-physical reasons is part of being a human being!
 
Instead of "dieting" (aka restricting) consider the following to make eating a pleasant experience...

Restricting calories
If you restrict your calories too much (eg, more than 500 calories from your body needs) you are more likely to feel hungry, crabby, and tempted.

Eat wisely
Take a look at what you’re eating now. Find opportunities to enjoy a lower calorie choice that won’t leave you feeling hungry / unsatisfied. Eg, English muffin instead of a bagel; Skip juice / soda; Add vegetables in place of starches; Broth soup instead of cream soup.

Eating “light”
In an effort to lose weight, people often try to have “just a salad” for a meal. However, while that might fill the stomach, it doesn’t keep you full for long and it is rarely satisfying.

Feel satisfied
Start each meal with vegetables and / fruits to fill your stomach then add a protein (chicken, turkey, fish, yogurt) and/or healthy fat (nuts, seeds, avocado) to keep you fuller, longer. Enjoy a serving of starch – this often is the difference between being satisfied…or not. 

​Skipping meals
When you go more than 4 hours without eating, the hormones in your body change. These hormones make it hard to feel satisfied. So when you do finally eat, you feel like a bottomless pit and overeat.

Eat every 3-4 hours
By eating something satisfying and filling every 3-4 hours, you’ll prevent overeating and reduce cravings.

Juice and smoothies
Drinks aren’t satisfying so you end up eating on top of having the drink. While a drink will fill the stomach for about an hour, after that, hunger will rise. The longer you feel hungry, the more cravings you will have and the more likely you are to overeat later.

​Whole fruits and vegetables
When you eat the whole fruit and/or vegetable, you get a larger volume of food (so you’re literally full). This means you might eat a little less of another food The fiber from the fruit/vegetable also keeps you fuller longer than just the drink. 

Denying yourself
Most people go about trying to eat healthy by labeling foods “good” and “bad.” However, the more you tell yourself you can’t have something, the more tempting it becomes!

Indulging mindfully
Take stock of what it takes to fill and satisfy your hunger. You might find that enjoying a small bag of chips with your “healthy lunch” turns off your desire for food. That’s better than forcing yourself to eat pretzels…then fruit…then yogurt…then cookies…because what you really wanted were a few chips! 

Giving up foods
Food is a big part of our human existence. By putting foods on the “no-no list” you’re also giving up a lot of the pleasure, emotions, and social aspects that go along with those foods. That won’t last long!

Adding new foods
Instead of giving up the foods that give you pleasure, consider ways you can fill your stomach with the nutrition your body needs then enjoy a small portion of something you love. 

Starting tomorrow
This isn’t the last time you’ll have pizza. But if you tell yourself that, you’re more likely to over indulge. If you try to “make up for it” by restricting the next day, you’re more likely to feel tempted and the cycle continues. 

​Create balance right now
Remind yourself that pizza tastes amazing! You have permission to enjoy it. But do you need to fill 100% of your hunger with it? How can you balance that pizza with another food so you feel full without feeling deprived? 

Eating with your computer / TV
The human brain can only process 1.5 activities at a time. If you’re watching TV, at the computer, and eating, while playing on your phone, you’re only processing a fraction of those activities! If you’re “treating” yourself at the same time, your mind isn’t even capable of enjoying the treat

Eat without distraction
Reduce the distractions and turn your attention to the food. If the whole point in eating that food was pleasure, you need to give your brain a chance to connect with the body. How does it taste? What’s the texture like? How do you physically feel – hungry vs satisfied vs full vs empty?