We’ve all heard the famous words- “Eat to Live, Don’t Live to Eat!” . It’s a wonderful thing to have your taste buds piquing to try every new cuisine you spot around the world. But it is even more wonderful, when you know that you have enough food on your plate and you do not really need that extra serving!
It is very essential for us to understand what our body is craving for, and to know whether we are actually hungry, well satiated , binge eating , et all. Hence it is also most important to have a perfect understanding of the signals your body is sending to you.
Foods that result higher in satiety levels are whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, salads, green vegetables, fibre rich fruits like apple and oranges, baked beans, popcorn, corn/wheat flakes, oats. Consuming these foods is going to make you feel fuller for a longer amount of time, will help maintain your metabolic rate, will not be deposited as fats or high calories, and above all, you will not have to indulge yourself into binge eating at every given opportunity.
On the other hand, foods like chocolates, cakes, white bread, white pasta, salty chips are going to make you crave for more without even leaving you feel full after eating them. This is going to result into you stuffing more and more food into your system with more unsatisfied hunger pangs. Thus causing you to over eat! Over eating will only result into obesity which is the root cause of a million other diseases.
There are simple techniques to be followed to avoid over eating, or binge eating. For example, buy only healthy foods on your grocery trips. That way you’ll stock your fridge and kitchen with the right stuff and so you will end up eating the right stuff!
Buy plates and bowls with small serving capacity. Take food in smaller quantity. If you are still hungry, serve yourself more. The idea is to eat smaller, fuller meals and not stuff yourself with heaps of food on your plate.
Understand the difference between hunger and craving. Once you know that, you will eat according to the feeling. You don’t have to give up on your craving forever. It’s about eating in moderation. Don’t deprive yourself of that chocolate. Know that eating a few pieces of the chocolate is better than gorging on the entire bar. Also, just so you know, your taste buds work only for the first few morsels. After that you are simply eating. Listen to your body.
Do not skip meals! Eat your meals from time to time. It is always advisable to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours. If you starve yourself, remember, you are going to eat all that food all at once and that will be nothing but deposition of higher calories!
If it is just craving, divert your mind. Do something that is actually productive. Don’t give into your craving so easily. Read a book, watch a sitcom, talk to a friend, draw, go for a run! Don’t binge!
So ask are yourself, are you over-eating??
(*photo courtesy: cbsnews.com)