How to Reduce Your Appetite and Portion Sizes Easily

And… Increase Satisfaction at Every Meal while Reducing your Waistline!

You live in a fast paced world that can make being healthy difficult. Finding time to shop, prepare, and cook meals can be challenge enough but many of you are finding that you don’t even have the time to eat. You scarf down breakfast on your way to work, only to pick up a quick convenience food on your way home from a long day and then have a quick snack while watching television before bed. You also live in a high stress world where marketing encourages using food to create good feelings. The problem in each of these scenarios is that you don’t really recognize that you’re eating, or in some cases what you’re eating. In the long run this can have a pretty detrimental impact on your appetite and waistline as well as foster an unhealthy relationship with food. Let me explain how.

When you’re mindful of what you eat you become more satisfied with that food. When you eat while on-the-go, or in front of devices, you aren’t paying attention to food. Less of your sensory perception is being devoted to your food and more toward your commute, electronics or paperwork. This means when you finish a meal you often you are left feeling unsatisfied, from a sensory standpoint and want to eat more to fulfill this void. This is where don’t “eat from the bag” while watching television comes in. To be more satisfied with meals and eat less you should devote more of your senses to food, or be mindful of your eating. One way to do this is to employ the four senses rule, commenting (either aloud or to yourself) on the:

1. Smell

2. Aesthetic qualities

3. Taste

4. Texture of your food.

This ensures you’re mindful of your food and portions. This also has a tendency to slow your eating down, giving your stomach more time to tell your brain you’re full. Using more of your senses increases mealtime satisfaction, meaning you don’t have to go back for seconds or eat again an hour later for fulfillment.

Another way to bring mindfulness back to your eating is to ask yourself why you’re eating each thing that passes through your mouth. This doesn’t have to be a daunting or laborious activity. Simply take an extra three seconds before each drink, meal or snack during your day and quickly ask yourself “Why? Am I actually eating this?” Is it hunger? Routine? Boredom? Sadness? Perhaps a social situation? The list goes on and on but the point is, you begin to identify the reason for your eating, and the first step in any positive change process is awareness.

Being mindful of what you eat increases satisfaction which reduces your appetite and portions. Done at every meal, this can have a significant impact on your waistline. It also helps identify the reasons why you eat and encourages you to have a healthy relationship with food, one based on your bodies need and not your emotions or feelings. Being mindful also makes us aware of the healthfulness of food by making you stop and think about all the foods qualities. Being mindful in every facet of life is important however, when applied to food it can have an immense impact on your health.

To know more about mindful eating practices or if you have questions about food, nutrition and diet feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or call us 641-357-4499!

If you are a current patient and would like to make an appointment 641-357-4499. NEW PATIENTS ALWAYS WELCOME

Yours in Health,

Dr. Kathleen Voortmann, D.C.
by: Nick Polmante