That Health Rules

Different kinds of food give us different levels of satiety and the feeling of fullness.  You may not have realized it but in one meal, you get easily hungry in less than 2 hours and are wondering why this is so.

It is important for us to remember that the main role of food is solely to satisfy our craving, our hunger and definitely to provide us the needed calories for energy.  But the kind of food we eat will determine if we feel the feeling of satisfaction or not.  This satiety factor therefore will be a factor in making us eat more and therefore provide us with unecessary calories that make us gain weight!

What determines the feeling of fullness include the quantity of food we eat, the actual contents of the food and the texture including the smell.  Signals to the brain from the stomach make us feel satisfied or make us eat more.   

What foods can give us the highest satiety level? 

If your food contains a high level of protein, enough amounts of fiber and water, this food will give you the highest satisfaction rating.  In contrast foods high in fat will make you less satisfied and makes you want to eat more…this be the reason why a high fat diet makes you gain weight!  Intake of protein like a meal that includes fish meat or egg  gives a higher satiety level than carbohydrates.  But carbohydrate rich foods like pasta, rice or bread also provides a high satiety level. 

So to provide one with the highest satiety level of food for a meal… a whole grain bread with leans cuts of meat can provide a better satiety level and longer period of preventing hunger than if one eats a croissant!

The satiety factor of a food like glycemic index is just one of the many factors that affect the way we eat, the way we manage our lifestyle and the way we prevent weight gain. Complex factors come into play including social norms, culture and even mood in deciding whether we feel satisifed and enough food is enough for the meal!

The bottom line is: the higher the satiety factor the lesser we eat!  Likewise…my advise to all: once you feel full…then stop eating especially if you are indulging in a high carbohydrate meal!!!! Sometimes, its the great taste of food even if we are already full that makes us want to eat more. 

Dont be Fooled by Food…Be “Fulled” The Right Way!

This entry was posted on May 12, 2008 at 7:02 am and is filed under General Health Tips, Lifestyle Measures, Nutrition Health Tips, Personal Thoughts, Weight Loss Tips.