It’s easier to eat more than you need than you might think. Our stomach tells our brain when we are full but that message can be delayed so you continue to eat until the signal registers. You might not be able to make the signal happen faster but you sure can anticipate it and aid your own decision to stop eating when you’re full. Here’s how to be a clever eater:
Putting it in simple terms, if you eat large meals then you train yourself to eat larger portions. It means you learn, be it intentionally or unintentionally, to take more food in before you become full. Eat smaller portions and smaller meals. A smaller plate will help. Even if this means eating more frequently during the day, it will help you feel fuller a lot quicker if you eat smaller portions as a rule.
We all know that eating Chinese food makes you feel fuller faster because it has a lot of water in it. However, one of the lesser-known ways to feel full for longer is to eat lots of fiber. Two bowls of All Bran will make you feel full for hours. It may not taste great and you may crave a little meat or something sweet, but the fact is you will stay fuller for longer because it is packed with fiber.
It may seem silly having a starter when you are eating at home, but a small starter starts your digestive system going and helps you enjoy and digest the rest of your meal more easily. So long as you do not wait too long between your starter and your main meal, you will feel a lot fuller faster. A low calorie brot-based soup is a good starter. If you are still peckish after your main meal, then you may be craving a little sugar, in which case you should have a small dessert to finish the meal.
Chewing gum is a good way to lower your appetite, but it is not good for you if you are not eating a balanced diet. Instead, do not wolf down your food: eat it slowly, chew it and savor it and you will become fuller faster so that you can have smaller portions. Don’t worry about wasting food because you can save it and eat it later or the day after.
This is especially if you want to tone up and build muscles. They are packed with protein, which helps you feel fuller faster. Plus you can eat a pile of mushrooms without adding tons of calories. Add mushrooms to your meal, and you will feel the benefit. Again, it also helps if you are working out and trying to shift a little fat because it helps your muscles tone up after you have done the exercise.
Use vinegar/vinaigrette and cinnamon for flavor. They have a great way of regulating your blood sugars after a meal, which means you do not get the highs and the crashes. It means that after a while you won’t start itching for something else to eat until you are genuinely hungry. It sounds a little nutty, but there are respected medical journals that prove vinegar and cinnamon are good for helping you reduce your food cravings.
Potatoes contain hunger-fighting resistant starch, which is good and will fill you up for a long while. The problem is that it is easy to eat a lot of potatoes and really stuff yourself. This means if you have eyes bigger than your stomach, then potatoes can (in effect) make your stomach bigger so you can eat more and more as time goes on. If you have reasonable portions of potatoes, then they are your friend. Otherwise, stick to greens and carrots because they will fill you up quicker (albeit not for longer, as potatoes will).
Healthy eating is about being smart as well as the choice of foods you put on your plate. Of course, you can use the other tricks that are always recommended which include drinking a glass of water before eating, having protein with every meal, and adding in more vegetables to every meal. Do you have your own personal tips about feeling fuller faster?