How do you know when you are satisfied?
Do you find yourself ravenous for food in search of something that can quench your craving but you just can’t figure it out? Why after eating do we just not have the feeling of being finished? The aspects that create satisfaction in our lives are so individualized. Determining the influences upon us when identifying our healthy lifestyle is complex and we need to understand the roadblocks with keeping ourselves focused on our intentions for feeling great! It can be very hard for us to place our finger on it. We just want the quick answer! It is safe to say what works for your best friend may not work for you no matter how bad you want it to. They my be satisfied with the paleo diet or clean eating trends, what seems like simple foods but you find it so very hard to work within the same limits. I guess a big thing to question is: (1) do you consider finding satisfaction with your food a priority? and (2) do you feel that establishing satisfaction with your food is a challenge?
Satisfaction is a highly subjective nuance that is often what keeps us coming back to our plates looking for more. We often become frustrated when we are considering what it is that we in fact need, to feel satisfied. The interesting thing is, when we identify satisfaction through the concept of a need, we believe that without experiencing it, we are in fact less than ideal. When it comes to eating we often think of satisfying foods as heavy creamy dishes, desserts or many even thirst quenching beverages.
To get closer to knowing how to become satisfied we must take a look at the intuition of our taste buds. We should sit to experience the energetic experience of sweet, sour and bitterness in our food. This requires us to slow down when we eat and become mindful. We then create an opportunity to understand the neuro taste connection inside of ourselves. We need to consider the flavours, textures and temperatures which also all fluctuate with seasons and our mood. Often we associate the feeling of satisfaction as being complete or whole. It may not be so simple to identify with as it is often apart of the whole eating experience and the anticipate leading up to a meal or event. If our expectations are not then met emotionally we are often less than satisfied. If we want to determine the portion of something, we perceive ourselves to need, it is so very important to get to know our personal limits which brings all of these factors into play.
Exploring this concept is so important when we are looking to create a lifestyle that is satisfying to us. When our ideal lifestyle and ideal health outcomes become conflicted we also struggle to experience satisfaction.
GET PERSONAL WITH YOUR HUNGER
Satisfaction is a feeling of being complete or whole, maybe you even describe it as an ideal sensation! The expectations that we place on our foods to make us feel better is often not for the right reasons. Understanding the different types of hunger helps us to better understand how to become satisfied with our meals and snacks.
- Eye hunger: Sometimes we want to eat because we enjoy the way that it looks.
- Nose hunger. Taste and smell are closely linked and can be easily mistaken for each other.
- Mouth hunger: When we eat without mindfulness we condition ourselves to need food on a frequent basis. It is the hardest one for us to overcome as our mouth expects a variety of textures and flavours.
- Stomach hunger: Get to know your hunger cues instead of eating by the clock.
- Cellular hunger: If you are on a diet that restricts carbs, protein or fats you are going to crave them and you will probably still be hungry.
- Mind hunger: The more focused you are on what you read and hear about healthy eating, the more likely it is that mind hunger will dictate your eating habits. Education is powerful so make sure what you are reading is backed up with science.
- Heart hunger: Emotional eating is often linked to feeling unworthy, self doubt and even feeling unloved. Reach out for counselling if you are feeling this is taking over for you!
TIPS TO BECOMING SATISFIED
1. Measure your degree of feeling hungry before you consume food and acknowledge your degree of fullness after you eat by using a scale of 1-10.
2. Notice your emotional climate around meal times. Are you feeling complete or whole before you eat? When we are experiencing sadness, frustration or anger it can make satisfaction much more difficult to locate within us. These emotions are triggers for overeating
3. Ask yourself if you are being restrictive. Placing restrictions on our eating patterns and choices set us up for overeating on the foods we feel freedom with which in the end will never truly satisfy our craving for what we really want. Listen what nutrients your body may need and be missing.
4. Try slow mindful chewing! Identify sweet, sour, bitter and unami. The more we chew the more we become satisfied.
Peneau(2013) Dieting Emotional Eating Ciampolini (2010).
Initial Hunger and Insulin Sensitivity. JNM
Nummenaa et al (2015) Body Map Emotions Oswald.2017.
