Gateway to Health Challenge
Newsletters
Week 8
Reconnect With
Fullness Sensations
By Linda Rellergert, University of Missouri Extension, adapted by Molly Vetter-Smith, University of Missouri Extension
Last week’s CEO Health Challenge Newsletter focused on
hunger—the flip side of fullness. It is hard to stop eating
at a comfortable fullness if one is not fulfilling the sense
of hunger. Or, if you wait to eat until you are extremely
hungry you it is difficult to stop eating when you are full.
This week’s newsletter will cover the fifth principle in
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch:
Reconnecting with the physical sensations of fullness with
eating.
Feel your fullness sounds simple—a ‘no brainer,’ right? Intuitive, one might say. For some people, eating just to the point where they feel full is an unconscious habit and they cannot imagine doing otherwise. For others, though, eating has become disconnected from physical sensations. For them, eating starts when it is time to eat, and ends when the plate is clean. Eating is not tied to physical hunger and fullness. For others, the primary focus of eating is the diet, the calories, the grams of fat.
When people diet or depend on other external factors to dictate the amount and kind of food they eat, they can lose touch with the physical sensations of hunger and fullness. Because hunger varies each day, trying to eat the same number of calories every day means that some days this will be too much, some days too little and only occasionally will it be just right. Reconnecting with the body’s signals of fullness will help you eat just what is needed every day.
Dieting is not the only reason people lose touch with fullness. Eating without regard for physical signals of fullness may be rooted in some long-held values or habits. These are described below along with ideas to help return to a more physically-connected way of eating.
Try not to get too hungry. When hunger is overwhelming, it is very difficult to savor what is being eaten. If hunger strikes when mealtime is still a way off, take a snack break. This is a good time to eat fruit or raw vegetables to help meet the five-a-day recommended by nutrition experts.
Eat mindfully. Unconscious eating is a habit of eating while doing something else, like watching television or reading. Suddenly, the whole bag or plate of food is gone, but you are not really aware of what you ate. You may not feel very satisfied. Honor the gift of food and put pleasure back into eating by giving meals and snacks the attention they deserve. Turn off the TV, put away the newspaper, get away from the desk and eat attentively. Focus on the way food looks, smells and tastes, and really enjoy what you eat.
Resign from the clean plate club. As children, many of us were admonished by our well-meaning parents to eat everything on our plates. The idea of wasting food was a sin to folks who had grown up knowing scarcity. Today, the problem of overabundance is more common. We may have developed a habit of eating to completion, no matter how much food is in front of us or how hungry we are at the start. It can help to recognize that stuffing oneself with too much food is just as wasteful as leaving something on the plate.
Take these measures to avoid food waste:
- Serve smaller helpings, knowing more is available if desired.
- Put a reasonable amount of food on a plate or bowl instead of eating out of the bag.
- Set aside some of what is served to take home or to enjoy later.
- Share your portion with a companion.
- Develop strategies to defend against well-meaning but misguided food pushers. Remember, no one but you can feel your fullness. Practice saying “no, thank you” in a pleasant, but firm voice. Statements like these might be of some help: “I’d love to eat more, but I really can’t eat another bite. Or, “I’d love to try that. Could you save me a piece for later when I’ll be hungry and can truly enjoy it”
- Help reinforce your decision to stop eating with a gesture. Try placing a napkin or flatware across the plate, nudging the plate away from the table edge just a bit, or even removing the plate from the table.
Reconnecting eating with the physical sensations of fullness
is likely to take some practice and patience. This is an
essential part of eating well and is truly worth your
efforts.
NUTRITION TIP OF THE WEEK:
Make a list
By Greta Hopke, University of Missouri Extension
Menu List:
By creating a weekly or monthly menu you can help assure
healthy meals, include variety, and be able to plan and
prepare ahead of time. Creating a menu can be as simple or
complex as you would like. You can just make a menu for
supper or you can include all 3 meals. It is also a good way
to include the whole family by letting them include their
favorite foods or meals and help with preparation. When
planning your menu, be sure to look ahead and make note of
events that may influence your menu. For example, if every
Tuesday evening you have a meeting, try to make Tuesday's
meals less time consuming or that the preparation can be
done the day before.
Grocery List:
Have you ever been in the grocery store without a list and
you end up coming home with lots of foods you did not need?
By making a grocery list before you are at the store you can
be sure to include foods that you are out of and foods you
will need for the week's menu. Also, by making a grocery
list you can look through the store ad to take advantage of
weekly specials, and you are less likely to buy items you do
not need, such as cookies or other tempting items. It can
also be a good idea to keep the list posted in your kitchen
so you can add items to the list as they run out.
Healthy Foods List:
Have you ever been hungry, but cannot think of anything to
eat, so you just reach for something "easy" like chips? Make
a list of healthy foods you enjoy. (It is easy to think of
less healthful foods!) Post your list of favorites on the
refrigerator where you can easily search for healthy foods
that sounds good! When making your grocery, list be sure to
check your favorite list to assure the foods are available
when you want them!
EXERCISE TIP OF THE WEEK:
Guidelines and Precautions for Stretching
By Greta Hopke, University of Missouri Extension
The following are guidelines and precautions to use in a sound stretching program:
- Before stretching vigorously, begin with a slow jog or walk.
- Stretching should not be painful. Stretch only to the point of tightness or the feeling of resistance or some discomfort. Always stretch slowly and with control. Hold each stretch about 10-30 seconds.
- Use caution when stretching muscles which surround painful joints. Pain is an indication that something is wrong, and should not be ignored.
- Use caution when stretching the lower back and neck. Stretches or exercises that compress the vertebrae and their discs may cause damage.
- To take stress off the lower back and decrease the chance of back injury, stretch from a seated position rather than a standing position.
- Stretch muscles that are tight and inflexible. Strengthen muscles which are weak and loose.
- Do not hold your breath; continue to breathe normal during stretching.
- Stretching should be done at least 3 times per week to see minimal improvements in flexibility. For maximum improvements, it is recommended to stretch 5-6 times per week.
(Source: Prentice, W. (2004). Get Fit,
Stay Fit. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, p. 139.)
RECIPE OF THE WEEK:
Vegetable Stir Fry with Chicken
By Linda Rellergert, University of Missouri Extension, adapted by Molly Vetter-Smith, University of Missouri Extension
Spring brings return to evening sporting activities that
can put the squeeze on meal preparation time. A repertoire
of quick-to-fix recipes is a must for healthy and tasty
weekday meals. Vegetable Stir Fry with Chicken is one recipe
to add to your collection.
Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
Substitute boneless pork loin, lean sirloin, or firm tofu
another night to get double duty out of this recipe. Buy the
vegetables you want to include from the salad bar in the
grocery store produce section or look for pre-cut vegetables
if you don’t have time to cut up your own. Remember that
vegetables requiring longer cooking like carrots or broccoli
stems will cook more quickly if thinly sliced.
To complete your meal, toss mixed greens with a slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing. Fruit (canned, fresh or frozen) and packaged fortune cookies make an appropriate and appealing dessert.
½ pound boned, skinless chicken, thinly sliced
3-4 cups cut-up vegetables such as: red, yellow and green
sweet peppers, onion, broccoli, snow peas, celery,
mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, collard greens,
kale, etc.
3 cups cooked rice (preferably brown). Use instant brown
rice cut cooking time.
Sauce: Mix the following together in a bowl until well
blended:
¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1-2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch (or flour)
½ teaspoon minced scallion or green onion (optional)
2 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese wine) or dry white wine or
chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger and/or garlic (buy pre-minced
in a jar)
Heat large skillet or wok on medium to med/high. Add 1
tablespoon oil and heat until hot. Add chicken or other meat
and stir fry until cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon
and set aside in serving bowl.
Using small amounts of additional oil if needed, add
vegetables to skillet or wok and stir fry. Place the one
that take the longest to cook in first (e.g., broccoli,
carrots). Cook vegetables until tender-crisp (do not
overcook).
When all vegetables are tender-crisp, return chicken to pan. Pour sauce into pan, cooking and stirring until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve immediately with rice.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information per serving: 353 calories, 40g protein 9g fat, 46g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 665mg sodium.
***Really short on time? Use a pre-made soy ginger or teriyaki sauce/marinade instead of the home-made sauce above. Make sure to mix cornstarch or flour into sauce (before adding it to the hot skillet) to thicken the sauce.
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