Knowing how our bodies work with food allows us to be smarter in the way we use it. Instead of getting into diets and cycles of denial and binging it makes a lot more sense to do the clever thing and portion control foods that we know our body is not very good at dealing with.
Tubs of ice cream, piles of donuts and pancakes and massive chocolate cakes are easy examples of what not to do when indulging in sweets or enjoying foods that we know to be high in sugar and high in calories. Adding some fiber to the diet is not just good for the digestive tract but it also helps us control our appetite better.
If you want to have a smart eating strategy that really works for you consider the following:
Do not combine high-sugar and high-fat foods, they short-circuit leptin production in your body and make you overeat.
Eat any sweets or fatty foods you like as long as you do not make it a constant and remember to eat smaller portions of those.
Eat more slowly, it allows your body time to produce the peptides that tell it when it is full.
Add fibre to your diet, vegetables and fruit are great examples.
Try and eat some foods that have low glycaemic index (GI) – nuts, vegetables and beans are good examples.
If possible, choose foods that are not as refined, such as brown bread and brown rice, as opposed to white alternatives.
Pick the times you eat, it is better to eat a large meal when you have time to burn it off than to eat it at the end of the day when you will not be as active.
Do not use food to improve your mood. Stress eating and comfort eating are the two easiest ways to short-circuit the hunger response and simply pile on weight.
MD