human development

Is this your ultimate dream: to love food, enjoy it, and still remain fit and healthy? For most of us, that’s what it remains: a dream.

I  always been passionate about food and fitness. Even the most intelligent and perceptive amongst us are convinced that these two passions cannot coexist together. “You do not look like a food critic,” I am told, as though I have to look like a samosa or cream-puff to look like food critic.

The truth of the matter is that I am passionate about food, it excites me! I cannot resist sinful desserts. Or  chocolate. I love restaurants and eat out all the time. I am passionate about fitness and health too because that is what enables me to respond with all my senses to food. And so I’ve developed an endless appetite for finding out more about how to eat my way to health.

Through the years I have been struggling to make it a reality. It becomes tougher, since I eat for a living. In other words I live to eat and stay  fit.

Nutritionist, heart specialists, ayurvedacharyas, oncologists, naturopaths, homeopaths …. Said a great and simple one that it’s not just about what you eat but also about How you eat. The great news is that it is easy, fun and delicious.

The Appetite Mechanism

Did you know that bad eating habits don’t just mean calorific and junk food but also being out of harmony with the way you eat?  Ever wondered why eating and emotions are linked?

Our appetite is coordinated in an area called the hypothalamus and it is this area, which controls a lot of our emotions. The feeding  centre is divided into ‘hunger’ and  ‘fullness’ centres. The number of signals reaching these centers dictates   whether you feel hungery or full. ?It’s important to feel pleasantly full after a meal, because you are less likely to bringe in between. Basically, you need to get tuned in to the ‘satiety’ value of eating. These ‘satiety’ signals are sent back in different stages.

Chewing:

Most of them doesn’t know that why  they  should chew their  food well and slowly. Sure, it helps in the production of saliva and digestion, but what it also does is send signals of satiety to the brain. So, the more you chew, the more time you take over eating, the greater the perception of satiety. This is because within the jaw are stretch receptors which respond when you chew.

Exciting the taste buds:

Foods that turn you on are called organoleptic foods, which smell, look, taste and feel good in the mouth. The great news is that organoleptic foods are actually good for you. They register satisfaction quicker and they increase the production of saliva and digestive jucies. If you exciting flavours, varying temperatures and textures within a meal, your mouth has a far greater opportunity to send satiety signals.

Lifting the arm:

It may  sound really, strange, but the more you arm to eat, the greater will be the feeling of fullness. That’s because you give your brain the time and the chance to register those signals.

Trust your stomach:

Within the stomach wall are stretch receptors, which send signals of fullness to your brain when there is food in your stomach. When you eat sugary’ refined or fatty food they pass through your stomach quickly and satiety signals are not sent back to the brain. So, you tend to eat a lot more than you  actually need to. But, when you eat high-fibers food (fruits, vegetables,whole grains) they stay in the stomach longer and send satiety signals to the brain. So, taste almost everything, but concentrate on the high-fibre foods. 

Food and mood:

It might help to know that it’s not just alcohol which is a mood-altering substances. Our every day food does effect our moods too. Within the brain, Chemicals help transmit messages from one nerve cell to another. There are two moods-serotonin and norepinephrine. The body makes these particular endorphins from the food we eat and therefore, we can, to a certain extent raise the level of these substances in the brain by eating specific foods. The main source of these endorphins is sugary, carbohydrate-rich food. This explains why many of us feel happy when we eat chocolates and sweets. The problem, however, with eating too much of these is that sugary foods are absorbed rapidly into the blood. And though this causes a serotonin rush, it is broken down rapidly and eventually leads to a drop in blood sugar and endorphin levels. So, such foods can leave you feeling even  lower than before. On the other hands, naturals sugars give you a steady high.

Feeling low and depressed is also linked to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals and therefore, to improper eating. A huge database of research points in the direction of eating right and light. So,  for the sake if your mood, it is best to stick to natural sugars and natural starches. Natural sugars are found in fruits and veggies  (as opposed to refined sugars in honey, cakes etc.)  and naturals starches occur in whole grains, brown rice, beans, fruits and veggies ( as opposed to refined starches in white bread, pastas etc.). These naturals foods keep you clear-eyed and energetic.  The reason?  They release  energy at a slower steadier pace, do not slow down your metabolism and so don’t end up channelizing the blood supply away from your brain. In other words, they keep you feeling fresh and in a good mood. Naturally!

Tips to avoid overeating: