Making Meals More Satisfying
Have you ever been on a diet and couldn’t stop thinking about food? Or finished a meal and still felt “snacky” shortly afterwards? One of the worst parts of dieting is that it often leads to an obsession and preoccupation with food, and food starts taking up way more brain space and energy in life than it should. When you’re constantly having to be vigilant about following food rules and denying yourself true pleasure from food on a regular basis, the brain becomes more and more fixated on food.
“If you’re still in diet mentality when you eat, it’s likely you’re not choosing the most satisfying food, or if you do choose it, you are judging yourself for eating it”. Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
Food is just one way we care for ourselves by giving our bodies nourishment and pleasure. The wonderful thing about intuitive eating is that when you eat what you really want and truly allow yourself to have enough, your drive to eat naturally gets turned off and you won’t continue looking for something else to satiate you. Here are some tips for finding more satisfaction at mealtimes in your intuitive eating journey:
Eat enough
This may seem like a no-brainer, but so many dieters just aren’t eating enough for their bodies. And if you’re always unsatisfied after finishing your plate at meals while on a diet, wishing you had more, you very likely do need more! Many people significantly underestimate the amount of energy their bodies need in a day. Fullness and satisfaction signals are also triggered by the physical sensation of food in the stomach (stretching of the stomach) and the hormones that are released by the body in response to food. If you’re eating a very small volume of food, your body and brain won’t get the signals that lead to fullness and satisfaction. On the flip side, if you eat a very large but low calorie meal (ex. a plain salad), the volume might fill your stomach, but your brain won’t get the message that you’ve eaten enough energy. You’ll also likely be hungry very soon after.
Include foods you actually enjoy
The Intuitive Eating book states that for meals to be satisfying, they need to include foods that you enjoy and “hit the spot”. Eating a piece of fruit when you really want a cookie, or a salad when you really want pizza will not lead to a very satisfying experience. Many dieters also “eat around” the food they really want. For example, eating diet desserts in place of ice cream or carrots when they really wanted chips in an attempt to satisfy a craving. If you’re unsatisfied, it’s likely you’ll eat more of the diet food than you would have if you just ate the food you really wanted!
It can be really challenging to figure out what you really want to eat and to give yourself unconditional permission to eat it, especially if you’ve been in the diet mentality for a long time. Have compassion with yourself in this process, and remember that you deserve to have pleasurable foods. Remember- ALL foods can fit into a healthy diet, and no one food or meal has the power to make you healthy or unhealthy. Practice asking yourself “what do I really want” when deciding what to eat.
“Satisfaction is derived when you take the time to figure out what you really want to eat, give yourself unconditional permission to eat, and then eat in a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere” Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
Include carbohydrates, protein, and fat
We need all 3 of these macronutrients for our bodies to function optimally and to achieve satisfaction in eating. Each serves it’s own very important function in the body, and they also work together.
Carbs provide our bodies quick and efficient energy. Our brains get energy to function almost exclusively from carbohydrates, and not eating enough carbs can cause us to feel sluggish, fatigued, drained, and irritable. Carbs are also what keep blood sugar at a normal level. If you’ve ever felt shaky, dizzy, weak, or nauseous when going too long without eating, it’s highly likely your blood sugar level was too low. Proteins and fats play important roles too. Protein and fats take longer to digest than carbs, so they keep us full for longer and increase satiety. Combining proteins and/or fats with carbs means that blood sugar will rise and fall more gradually, rather than a steeper peak that you get with carbs alone. This results in more sustained energy and you might find you don’t get hungry as quickly. Bonus- fats make food taste good! Fats enhance both the texture and flavor of foods. For example, 2% or whole milk is creamier, thicker, and more flavorful than skim milk, which tends to be waterier.
Make your food look appealing
Apicus, a 1st century Roman gourmand (or “foodie” you could say) is credited with the phrase “we eat first with our eyes”. There’s a reason restaurants put so much effort into plating food- adding colorful garnishes and carefully spreading sauces on the plate. Food that looks exciting and attractive is more appealing, and therefore more satisfying! Imagine a meal of plain chicken breast, brown rice, and cauliflower. Kind of boring and bland, right? Now imagine a meal you love with lots of different colors, textures, and flavors (take chicken and veggie fajitas for example). Which do you think would be more satisfying? You don’t have to be a food stylist or do anything fancy. Just by including a couple of different colors on the plate and arranging them in a way that’s appealing to you can increase satisfaction.
It’s important to remember that not every meal has to be the most satisfying experience. It’s ok to just eat what’s available to you at the time to nourish your body, even if the meal is kind of boring or bland. But conscious doses of pleasure with eating throughout the day can make a big difference.