Now Playing, Triple F: Feel Full Faster

Have you ever had the feeling that you wanted to just feel full already and make your stomach stop growling and craving more food? Well I think that everyone has had this dilemma at some time in their life, but few of us have successfully tamed our stomachs and most important our minds into believing that we're actually full even when we're craving more food. We have to dissect this problem by looking at the stomach of course, but also the brain. In order for your stomach to feel the complete sensation of fullness, the brain must also understand that you mentally no longer want to eat. At this moment you will feel full and have no more cravings or sudden urges to stuff your face. There are several ways to achieve the goal of feeling full faster and most importantly prevent overeating. Here are a few tips you can try to help your stomach and your brain get on the same page.

Tip #1: Chew your food slowly and multiple times.

This is a very useful tip but it is also one of the hardest tips to follow in my opinion because in order to practice and use this tip you have to have a strong will power. For example, imagine your stomach is empty and your blood sugar is very low and the only goal you have in mind is to eat any thing and everything in sight. Well few of us would think to restrain ourselves and remember to chew every bite at least 15-20 times. I suggest trying this tip at dinner time when your blood sugar is at a normal level and you're not a complete food zombie. By chewing your food more, you'll realize that you enjoy and savor the flavors and textures of the food more rather than shoveling it down your throat and you'll feel full (mentally and physically).

Tip #2: Snack on whole foods before a meal.

This tip is for all of us who have little or no will power whatsoever. Before your about to eat a large meal (or so you think), try eating some snacks before hand and you'll feel fuller faster. Now you can't eat any snack you want like potato chips, cookies, processed crackers, or nachos, no those items (I'm not even gonna refer to them as food) are junk not snacks. Now what you can eat is fiber rich snacks such as 100% whole wheat or rye crackers (Wasa crackers are a good choice), about a handful of almonds/walnuts/pecans, carrots/broccoli/celery, and some hummus of your choice for dipping the crackers and veggies into.

Tip #3: Replace those fries for it's predecessor, the simple potato.

A major problem that people make is choosing poor and unhealthy side dishes at dinner or even lunch time. The problem lies in the fact that we're so used to eating fried foods such as french fries instead of having let's just say a potato. Instead of making poor choices, you can make better side item choices by serving sweet potatoes, a side of black beans, or a side of Quinoa. All of these side dishes are loaded with protein and fiber so you'll eat less and feel fuller faster (Triple F strikes again). You can be creative now and add any spices, seasonings, or sauces to you side items, on the other hand when all you could put on those nasty fries were sodium and sugar (high fructose corn syrup) loaded ketchup. Personally, I add Cinnamon to my cooked sweet potato, it gives it a nice spice and flavor similar to brown sugar but without being too sweet. If you really want and are seriously craving french fries try cutting up a sweet potato into similar french fry shapes and bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until cooked to your liking.