Are you tired of constantly battling cravings, feeling like they disrupt your well meaning plans to eat healthier? Well, you are not alone. Cravings can be a major roadblock on the journey to overall health. But do not fear because there is a way to achieve satiety AND satisfaction to overcome those annoying cravings once and for all.
Understanding Satiety and Satisfaction
The Importance of Satiety
Satiety refers to the feeling of fullness and the suppression of hunger that occurs after eating. Achieving satiety is essential for maintaining a balanced diet and preventing unnecessary snacking between meals. When we are truly satiated, cravings tend to fade into the background, allowing us to focus on other aspects of our lives.
What is Satisfaction?
On the other hand, satisfaction goes beyond simply fulfilling a desire; it is about feeling content and at peace with your choices. In the area of nutrition, satisfaction plays a crucial role in our overall relationship with food. When we are satisfied, we are less likely to seek out unhealthy snacks or overindulge in comfort foods.
How to Eat to Satiety and Feel Satisfied
Incorporate a variety of nutrient-dense foods into your daily meals. Balanced meals that include PFF - protein, healthy fats, and fiber (in the form of whole carbohydrate foods, aka whole grains, fruits and vegetables) can help stabilize blood sugar levels and keep cravings at bay. Don't forget the importance of hydration as well! Water, water, water, not to be confused with juices and soft drinks. The next time you have a craving and want to grab a snack, instead drink a glass of water. If you're still hungry 15-20 minutes later, now you know you're actually hungry and not just having a craving. Have a healthy snack or make a meal, focusing on PFF.
A study done in 1995 by Dr. Susanna Holt et al. from the University of Sydney, determined how filling foods were by giving subjects a 240 calorie serving of each and asking them how full they were after eating it. The following table is the result of their findings:
They found, as stated by nutritionist and researcher, Joe Whittaker, of Joe Whittaker Nutrition, "...a key aspect of weight loss, if you choose foods that fill you up for less calories, you can sustain weight loss over the long term." Potatoes are for some seen as a bad player in the food game. And, some suggest we should stay away from the 'white foods' - flour, sugar, potatoes, pasta and rice - but, potatoes are a healthy food option that has been around for centuries and a main staple in many diets in populations that have had no weight problems whatsoever. The same with rice. But, now, somehow some see them as the problem. Something has changed in our diets over the last 50 years, and I don't think it has anything to do with potatoes and rice.
Lack of Willpower is NOT the Problem
In the book The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg, it was shown that we have a finite amount of willpower to rely on each day. That means once we have used up our willpower stores, they're gone. In a study from the book, when subjects were told to wait until someone arrived later to eat a marshmallow, if they had willpower left, they could resist it. If not, they ate it even though no one had yet arrived. Many normal everyday activities deplete our willpower stores, like stress, a sleepless night, having to be nice to that co-worker that drives you nuts. Yes, we like to blame our stressful lives, but I would guess stress is just different now, not necessarily less. Which brings us to ask, if a lack of willpower were our problem, wouldn't that be an age-old problem? Has self-control so totally gone out the window that that's why we have obesity rates three times of what we had in 1975? I find that hard to believe.
Joe goes on to explain, "Our bodies evolved in an environment where calories were scarce and we spent most of our lives trying to get them. Therefore, we have evolved a drive to push us to obtain food. We feel pleasure when eating foods, and hunger when not. This reward system urges us to seek food. Eating food releases dopamine, our brains’ reward neurotransmitter, the more calorie dense the food, the more dopamine is released. We obtain food for the neurochemical reward, and this behaviour ensures our survival."
We used to have very simple, bland diets with limited food options. The other day I was listening to a podcast that stated we should try to eat 20-30 different fruits and vegetables per week. Even to me that seems like a lot! Now, I'm not opposed to that because I personally like variety and love different flavors in my food. It is a reward and pleasurable. But, I can also see the dangers of seeking out new flavors for more reward, which can lead to overeating. A diet of simple foods can lead to feeling full and satisfied while keeping calorie intake lower.
The Power of Palatable Foods
I have not given palatability much thought until this post, and so I had to look into what it really is. J.M. de Castro in Satiation, Satiety and the Control of Food Intake defines it as "...a hypothetical construct that stands for the stimulus qualities of a substance that affect its acceptability." That means that if a food has more stimulus qualities, more flavor and calories, the more we want to eat it. And, he states when a meal is more palatable more food is consumed, actually 44% more food. What's really interesting is that less palatable foods provide more satiety than highly palatable foods.
Joe summarizes what makes a food more palatable - sugar, salt, fat, meatness (unami - the fifth taste), multiple flavors and calorie density - and less satiating. While foods that are less palatable have increased water content, fiber, protein and calorie sparsity - and are more satiating.
I believe I have mentioned this in other posts, but food companies purposely add ingredients, usually ones we can't pronounce, to foods so they are highly palatable - I may have used the term "addicitive", as in "you can't eat just one". They don't make us feel satisfied, so we eat more of these high caloric foods, often times without realizing how much we actually ate. And, more than that, the reward is so high we crave them - we keep coming back for more - willpower and self-control are not even a part of the equation. These companies want us purchasing their food items again and again. The amount of processed foods eaten has increased at an alarming rate since they were introduced in the 1950's. Joe shares a chart of what has happened to food consumption in Canada (and, it's probably similar for us here in the U.S.):
Are you still thinking potatoes are a problem, or are you realizing the packaged potato chips are instead? Is willpower or self-control the root cause? I'm thinking not. Now, I'm not suggesting that you eliminate all processed foods - or ultra-processed, as they're now referred to. That may not be a realistic goal, nor are they all bad (thinking of high-quality protien powder), although kudos to those who are able to do that! But, it is possible to decrease them and even get to where they are not nearly as satisfying. For instance, I used to love Velveeta cheese. I would make grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, slice it to eat with crackers. My grandma would make "homemade" queso with it - one of my all-time favorites. Then, I realized how unnatural it was and stopped eating it - for years. The last time I tried a bite of Velveeta, not only did I think it tasted like it's aluminum wrapper, but I couldn't believe how salty it was. Totally nasty!
Control Dopamine, Control Your Appetite
With all of that said, it's the dopamine response that the food industry is targeting. Dopamine is our brain's "feel good" neurotransmitter. Our brains were wired to seek out the reward of palatable and high caloric foods for survival when food was scarce. Now that food is plentiful, the food industry uses that drive for survival with highly palatable foods to flood our system with dopamine. The downside of that is when we are flooded with dopamine again and again, we become desensitized to its feel good effects. So, it takes more and more dopamine, more and more palatable and high caloric foods, to experience the same satisfaction level.
The good news is that when we control our dopamine levels, when we eliminate processed, highly palatable foods from our diet, a smaller amount of dopamine is needed to give us the same reward. We start to enjoy the flavors of real foods, like the sweetness of a bell pepper or cherry tomato, the nutty flavor of steel-cut oats or the savory unami of Shiitake mushrooms. What we used to consider bland, tasteless foods, become flavorful and satisfying.
Embracing True Satisfaction
Achieving true satisfaction is not just about satisfying your taste buds; it's about nourishing your body, mind, and soul. By adopting healthy lifestyle habits and listening to your body's cues, you can overcome the urge for palatable foods and cravings and experience a newfound sense of contentment.
Remember, the journey to satisfaction is unique for everyone. Be patient with yourself, celebrate small victories, and seek support from friends, family, or health professionals when needed. You can break free from the hold of cravings and embrace a fulfilling life filled with true satisfaction.
So, are you ready to take the first step towards a more satisfying and satiated life? Let's embark on this journey together and discover the joys of true contentment without the burden of feeling like a failure. Complete this application or email me directly at incourage@incourage-health.com to schedule a time to chat.
In courage,
Dani
Sources:
Cleveland Clinic. Dopamine. March 23, 2022
de Castro, J.M. Satiation, Satiety and the Control of Food Intake. Science Direct. 2013
Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. 2012
Whittaker, Joe, MSc. Joe Whittaker Nutrition. How diets work – Scientific explanation, May 29, 2023
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