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Friday, July 20, 2012

Are you Satisfied? Or Just Full?

Seriously. I want you to think about this question after your next meal. "Am I satisfied with this meal, or am I full but still want to eat more?"

Satiety is more than filling a stomach. If it were that simple to trigger satiety, drinking a liter of water should satisfy your your appetite, because most stomachs hold about a liter. To feel satiated, you need to do more than distend your stomach, you need to fill it with the right foods.

I'm not talking about endocrine signals that your body produces. (Well, indirectly I guess I am, but that is not my area of expertise and I don't pretend to have such aspirations.) I am talking about foods that make us feel good.

Let's think of it this way.  If you had 200 calories of salad (spinach, carrots, cucumber, and low-fat dressing) or 200 calories of Edy's Slow-Churn Ice Cream, which would make you feel fuller 1 hour after eating? Which would make you happier in a visceral, deep down way? I can't answer for you, but I know that the ice cream would make me fuller, and happier, longer than that salad.

I'm not advocating giving up on veggies and eat only ice cream, Oreos, and potato chips. But I am saying that if those are food items that you really enjoy, include them in your food budget. Maybe not everyday--but if you can fit it, everyday is okay, too.

Life is short. And without being morbid, no one knows how many more days we will be walking around. Life is meant to be lived. Enjoyed. Relished. Cherished. Tammy and I recently were shopping and before we headed to the car, we saw a frozen yogurt vendor. Frozen yogurt (nutritionally) is not much better than ice cream. But we both saw the treat and immediately realized that we needed a cone.  Not want, but need. So we each bought a cone.

It was delicious. Rich and sweet and creamy. And it still fit into our budget. After eating that, I felt full, even though the cone itself was not large, maybe four ounces. But it filled that psychological and physical gap that our lunch ignored.  I am not suggesting that you go out and buy a big bucket of ice cream and a Costco size tub o' fudge sauce and get your feed on, but if your budget allows it, go out and buy a single scoop of an indulgent ice cream or frozen custard. Sit down and really enjoy it. Then log it and move forward.

1 comment:

  1. All I need is to finish any meal with 2 Dove dark chocolate minis or something similar!!! Dark chocolate and small. FAB!! And satisfying
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete