A woman walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in
Chicago, Illinois.
If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty
concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you
need to eat. PHOTO | AFP
AFP
THE FESTIVITIES are coming to an end, and I bet quite a number of you have put on weight.
Most
of us pile on unnecessary kilos because we do not listen to our bodies
and spot signals that naturally point out when we are hungry and when we
need to stop eating. Being able to recognise these signals can greatly
contribute towards maintaining healthy weight.
There is a difference between wanting and needing food, and failure to differentiate the two can lead to overeating.
Hunger
can either be physical or psychological. Physical hunger is the way
your body lets you know that it needs energy and nutrients.
If
your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty
concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you
need to eat.
However, psychological hunger, (or craving) is mostly triggered by emotions or moods such as feeling low, or feeling excited.
Other
factors such as smell of food, pleasure of eating, or unconscious
behaviour like eating while watching a movie, can also influence your
eating habits.
If you eat consciously however, it will help you to identify why, when, what, and how much you are eating.
A SCALE TO HELP YOU
The hunger/fullness scale below will help you to assess how hungry you are.
Starved:
At this point, you are experiencing severe hunger pangs, and you feel
like you can eat just about anything within your sight. You are weak,
lightheaded and shaky.
Very hungry:
You are truly hungry, but at this point, you can still tolerate the
situation. Your energy levels are drained, and you have difficulty
concentrating - your thoughts are all about what you can eat.
Hungry: You have slight pangs of hunger, but are comfortable.
You
want to eat, but at the same time you are in control of your hunger.
You have an idea of what you want to eat to give you satisfaction.
Mild
hunger: You are slightly hungry, your stomach is rumbling a little, but
you are not yet ready to eat. You are not thinking about food, but it
is clear you will want food soon.
Neutral:
You are neither full nor hungry, and do not have any thoughts about
food either. If you ate at this time, you probably wouldn’t enjoy the
food as much as you would if you ate a little later.
Mild
fullness: Your stomach is filled up, but there is still some room for
more before you can feel completely satisfied. You are fairly energised
and feeling comfortable.
Full: You
are completely satisfied, and there are no hunger pangs. Your energy
levels are high, and you feel like you probably won’t feel hungry for
the next few hours. Food does not interest you.
A
little overfull: Your stomach now feels a little swollen. You should
have stopped eating a while ago because you are feeling uncomfortable.
Overfull: You feel bloated, uncomfortable and drowsy.
Stuffed:
Your stomach is so full, to an extent that it feels distended. You have
eaten more than what your body needs, and now you are very
uncomfortable.
Healthy foods that satisfy
Go for high fiber foods like whole grains, since they make you feel fuller faster.
Fill up on vegetables like broccoli and kales
Include protein in every meal, since it is very satiating
As
you track your hunger/fullness, take note of foods that give you most
satisfaction, so that you can include them in other meals
Eat slowly to allow your body’s signals to reach the brain and alert you when full
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