Many ancient traditions, such as Buddhism and Chinese Medicine, recommend the boring advice of eating until you are about 80% or 2/3rds full. The basic idea is that you should leave some room for the digestive process to do its work most efficiently. Here are some tips on how to reach this lofty Buddhist ideal:
Humans have programmed fear of hunger, but
since most of us know when and where our next meal is coming from, we
need to learn how to figure out if it’s truly hunger or are we just bored? Start by learning to
Measure your hunger.
How in tune with your body are you really when it comes to feeling
hungry? In order to figure out just how hungry you are, use this handy
scale.
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Starving: This is when you’re uncomfortably hungry
and maybe even a little light-headed. Your body’s blood sugar has taken a
dive and you’re likely to binge eat. This can be dangerous territory,
so don’t let yourself get this hungry.
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Hungry: You’re thinking about eating and you know if you don’t get something soon, you’ll enter the starve zone.
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Moderately Hungry: Your stomach is growling and you’ve got plans to eat soon. This is the best time to feed your body.
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Satisfied: You’ve eaten, but you could still have a few more bites (even though you probably shouldn’t).
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Full: Your belly is starting to feel the discomfort
of overeating and the food doesn’t actually taste as good as it did the
first few bites. This is a good sign to stop.
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Stuffed: You feel uncomfortable and like the food may come back up.
Refuel often.
If you’re still not sure about when you should eat, set an alarm for
4-5 hours after a balanced meal. Experts say eating frequently helps
sustain you and will ensure your blood sugar doesn’t drop so low you
reach for the first thing to cram into your face, which is usually
something bad.
Eat breakfast.
Your mom was right. It is the most important meal of the day.
Studies show that adults who eat breakfast (even a small one) will
consume fewer calories during the day. If you’re not hungry right away
in the morning, opt for a later breakfast. Short on time? Prepare
something the night before like cut up fruit. Grabbing a yogurt or a
pack of instant organic oatmeal is a great day starter as well.
Increase food volume.
Foods with higher fluid content can actually help stave off starvation
better than those foods that don’t. Experts suggest a correlation
between eating foods like fruits and veggies (which have high water
content) versus food like chips or crackers (with almost no water
content) and weight loss. Your body feels fuller, longer because you’re
increasing the volume of your food. To add this technique to your
existing diet, start with a salad before dinner, always choose fresh
fruit over dried fruits and boost the volume of any meal by adding fresh
veggies like broccoli, tomatoes or spinach.
Fiber, fiber, fiber.
It takes a long time for your body to break down fiber, so eating lots
of it will make you feel fuller, longer. You should be getting at least
25 grams of fiber a day from foods like carrots, apples and whole
grains, as well as legumes and raw green veggies.
Boost your protein intake.
It’s true. Eating lean meats like fish, chicken and turkey as well as
eggs will actually help you feel more satisfied, but consider actually
eating more of the protein than anything else on your plate. A serving
should be the size of the palm or your hand (not including fingers). Not
into meat? Black beans, chickpeas and edamame are also loaded with
protein and fiber and low in fat.
