One of the ways we can significantly reduce our cravings for processed, hyperpalatable, refined sugary foods as well as feel more in control around these foods, is this one tool:

 

 

Food satisfaction can be impacted by a number of factors even outside of the actual look and taste of the food. Today I'd like to take you through what actually makes a food experience satisfying and how to get that “yum” factor from your meals, in a wholefood way. 

 

So you can have more meals that leave you saying “That really hit the spot!” Rather than “that was average, something is missing, what else can I eat?”. 

 

This comes under the Befriending Food and Eating Food You Enjoy Pillars of my MYN 5 Pillar Method. 

 

 

 

 

 A meal might be more satisfying if you are ready to eat, vs if you are still feeling full from your last meal or snack. Learning to pause, and time your meals/snacks for when you are ready for them, might actually make you enjoy them more. 

 

 

  We can fall into two kinds of traps.

 1) Eating something because we think we “should” have it. Such as choosing lowest calorie thing on the menu even though it's not what you feel like. 

2) Eating the most indulgent thing on the menu, just because it's indulgent. 

 

Both can leave us feeling unsatisfied because we have based the decision on what we think we “should” have, rather than genuinely - what do I feel like? Humans crave variety, and every day might be different. Some days you might genuinely feel like something fresher and lighter, other days you might want something more hearty. You will feel most satisfied when you honor what it is you actually feel like, on that day. 

 

 

We often find ourselves in environments of food abundance such as a stocked up pantry and fridge, or a morning tea at work with heaps of food on the table. Then without even thinking we reach for something and eat it quickly. I find these kinds of “mindless” eating experiences are not satisfying in comparison to eating experiences where we pause and think - What do I actually feel like? Make a conscious choice, and then enjoy it slowly and mindfully. Don't forget that last bit - slowly and mindfully. 

 

 

Although food is not ONLY fuel, it is indeed, our fuel. We each need a minimum amount of carbs, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals and fibre each day for our brain, body and our gut microbes to function. If we completely neglected our fuel needs, we would die. So, our brain, body, and gut rewards us with this nice feeling of satisfaction when nutrient targets are met. We feel relief from hunger, tiredness and cravings, that are commonly triggered by a nutrient deficiency. 

 

And practice listening! 

 

You will notice that if you really listen carefully to your body, (not just your dopamine hungry brain), you will find your body rewards you when you get the nutrients it is wanting. 

 

For example, perhaps you haven't been eating enough protein, then one night you have a steak and think to yourself - gosh, that was just what I needed! 

 

Or perhaps you've been eating really low calorie, low fat foods, and finally allow yourself some peanut butter on toast. The fats from the peanut butter just HIT the spot. SO satisfying. You may have been deficient in fats. 

 

On the other hand, say you finish a really good work out, but you told yourself you're not allowed carbs for breakfast, so you only have a protein shake. Then, come the evening, you are RAVENOUS for carbs and your salad did not leave you satisfied. Your body is saying, hey, you didn't replenish my carbs stores this morning. 

 

The way we react to our diet and food choices can give us so much information about whether our nutritional needs are being met or not. The more you practice listening and observing the better you will get at this intuitive eating skill, and the more satisfying food choices you will learn to make. 

 

Eat when you are hungry

Eat what you actually feel like

Conscious decision vs Habit reaction

Eat mindfully

Eat to fuel yourself, (fueled and satisfied go hand in hand)

 

 

Since ditching diet culture and adopting a flexible, non-diet wholefood approach, I have become so much more in love with food and cooking.

One of my favorite things to hear from a client is that they are now able to enjoy a wider variety of meals, and they are enjoying food more. 

 

You don't need to become a top chef to achieve satisfactions from meals. You just need to know a few basics. If you are already rolling your eyes thinking - cooking just isn't for me, I get it! It feels like a chore, and you have so many other things on your plate, and perhaps you've had some failed attempts when you did make an effort and it was a big fail. (Psst, not fail, learning experience). I've been there, trust me! 

 

But here's why I don't want you to give up on making yourself yum meals…

 

1) Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life - (Think about our senses - touch, taste, sight, smell, it's one of the biggies). 

2) The reality is, you will need to feed yourself three to four times a day for the rest of your life.  . 

 

So I honestly think it is so worth that little bit of effort to make food enjoyable, since it is such a big part of you life, don't you? 

 

Then if you feel less reliant on take-aways and restaurants, you won't have to spend your hard earn money on them so much. (Another bonus). 

 

I'm still learning, and I'm nowhere near the cook I would like to be, but I am slowly getting better with using wholefood ingredients to make meals taste more yum and satisfying. Here are my tips from my own journey

 

 

 

 There are 5 taste elements - Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour, Umami

Then there is something called mouth feel - like “creaminess” that comes from fats. 

Then we have ingredients that have strong aromas and distinct flavors -  (That I like to call “flavor bombs”) like ginger, garlic, basil, cinnamon, coriander for example. 

 

Diet culture has done a great job of making women feel like they shouldn't add sweet and salty to their meals.  Sweet and salty is often deemed “unhealthy”. But is isn't that black and white (like most things in nutrition). 

 

It's the excess amounts of refined sugar, and salt in the context of a low quality, ultra-processed food diet that causes people to become over-fed, and undernourished. 

 

It is NOT the small amounts of wholefood ingredients like a bit of honey for sweetness, or miso paste for saltiness, served as part of an overall balanced meal. 

 

I don't believe we need to be extreme, and ban these ingredients from cooking all together. Instead, let's learn how to use them in a healthy balanced way to make meals satisfying and reduce the “blow outs” that come from a “yum” deprived human.  

 

 

Here is my list of go to ingredients which I use regularly in my cooking after ditching diet culture, to help make meals so much more enjoyable: 

 

Sweet: 

In dressings/sauces/Marinades: Organic maple syrup, honey, mirin (rice wine vinegar), and freshly squeezed juice. 

 In meals: Fresh fruit, dried fruit, sweet corn, roast pumpkin and orange kumara. 

 

Sea salt, Soy Sauce, Miso Paste

 

lemon juice, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, greek yoghurt, saukraut

 

Olive oil, Tahini, Peanut butter/Almond butter, Cheese, Greek Yoghurt, Dark chocolate

 

Basil, mint, coriander, parsley 

 

 Nuts/seeds, crushed up taco's or corn chips 

 

 

Once you have your sweet, sour, fatty and salty ingredients you can start combining them together to get a real party in your mouth. 

 

 

Granola(with salt and cinnamon), berries, banana, dollop of greek yoghurt (Salty, Aromatic, sweet, sour). *I add protein for the extra fuel and a touch more sweetness. 

 

90% Dark chocolate + date, + brazil nut (Creamy/Fat, sugar, crunch)

 

(Creamy from eggs and feta, aromas from basil, salty from feta and salt, sour from lemon juice squeeze and saurkraut).  

 

Tahini dressing on roasted veges: Tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce (Creamy, sweet, sour, salty deliciousness!) 

 

Japanese Sesame miso dressing: Sesame oil, tamari, Mirin or honey ( Creamy/Fat, salt, sugar!)

 

Is this making you hungry and inspired? I hope so!! 

 

 

When you add flavor to your meals, you may be adding calories, but the idea is that when you are using wholefood forms of calories, you are using them in small quantities. If you have the balance of nutrients I described (the carbs, fats, protein), you will get the fullness and satisfaction cues to tell you to stop eating when you have eaten just the right amount. 

 

If you are trying to lose weight in a healthy way, the 80% full guide can be helpful. Same meal with the same flavour, but simply dishing up a little less, eating slowly, and stopping a little bit earlier than you normally would. That's it. No calorie counting or elimination. 

 

Remember that a calorie balance is achieved over days, rather than in one meal. If you are satisfied after a slightly higher calorie meal, you may find that you end up snacking less, so the net calorie effect ends up being LESS overall. 

 

If you have a habit of “blowing out” in the weekends after being quite restrictive during the week, it could SAVE you thousands of calories if you reach your weekend feeling satisfied, and skip the blow out. 

 

Food for thought. 

 

 

 Thanks for making it to the end. Please let me know if you found this helpful or what you are keen to try this week to make your food a little more “yum” and satisfying. 

 

See you next week 

Kim x