This is no chicken-or-the-egg question. To
some degree, at least, you are hungry because you're fat. You have more body
area and that means greater surface to radiate heat and call for calories.
That being the case, foods which satisfy
your hunger fastest will help you to cut down comfortably on your calories.
Nutritionists call the hunger-satisfying properties of foods "satiety
value." Satisfying foods are those that remain longest in the stomach and
small intestine, demanding the most vigorous attention from the digestive
machinery.
Meat is the most satisfying of all foods,
containing extractives that stimulate the stomach to highest activity.
Milk ranks next to meat in satiety value;
whole milk is more satisfying than skim milk.
Fish is slightly less satisfying than meat
because usually it contains less fat.
Eggs vary according to preparation. Raw
eggs pass quickly from the stomach; hard-boiled eggs have greater satiety value
than soft-boiled, and about the same as fried.
Green vegetables and bread are low in
satiety value. Oddly, bread becomes even less satisfying when toasted.
Fats are high in satiety value; hence
moderate reducing diets often allow more fats than carbohydrates as a kindness
to the appetite.
Aside from the satisfying effects of food,
there are other ways of putting a check rein on your appetite. Here are ten
ways of cracking down and letting your appetite know who's boss:
1. Stop
eating while you're still a little hungry. For reasons that are not fully
understood, persons who tend to put on weight do not receive the "full
up" signal
from their meals as promptly as they should. Consequently they go on eating
after hunger is satisfied. Stop eating just a little earlier than you usually
do and you
will be surprised, within a few minutes, to
discover that appetite has really been appeased.
2. Revise
your mental habits. A lot of people put on weight because, having few
things that interest them, they turn to
nibbling as a socially entertaining way of
killing time. Keep busy at something else
and watch your yen for eating fall within normal limits.
3. Use
foods that demand vigorous chewing. The first organs of digestion are the
teeth. Food that is bolted (except by
carnivores) makes things tougher for your
stomach and deprives you of the full savor
of the things you eat—consequently you
want more to
satisfy your taste. Meat, crisp
celery, raw carrots—all of these call for vigorous maxillary action that helps
satisfy your appetite.
4. Don't
wash food down with water. The only valid objection to drinking water with
meals is that you may wash down lumpy masses of half-chewed food and thus
unconsciously step up your intake.
5. Don't be
tricked by fancy
foods. An ice
cream sundae topped off
by nuts and
whipped cream can tempt anybody's appetite. If you keep
out of the way of such temptations, however, you will find that your appetite
is just as happy as a baby who has never heard about lollipops.
6. Keep
count on calories. A rough idea of calorie values is all you need to tone down
a rambunctious appetite considerably. It's a lot easier to say "I'll take
an orange" when you know there are 450 calories in a husky slab of mince
pie.
7. Scuttle
your alibis. If you blame your overweight on heredity or glands, have your
doctor check you up—I dare you! If you feel that you can't say "no"
to the
hostess who urges a second helping on you,
for risk of hurting her feelings, remember that she probably is insistent
because of a high sense of hospitality, and secretly
may be thinking how nice it would be to
have some leftover comestibles for tomorrow's pick-up dinner.
8. Put
a fruit bowl on the coffee table instead of a box of chocolates. Eating between
meals isn't bad; it's good —provided you choose a piece of fruit or a glass of
milk instead of concentrated candies and pastries, and don't exceed your
calorie limits.
9. Don't
did your appetite with alcohol. We aren't saying you shouldn't drink. But if you drink, remember that the appetite
stirred up by alcohol is spurious. It isn't the real McCoy. It's another
trick to
make you hungry when you aren't.
10. Don't go without breakfast. Lots of us
kid ourselves that we're reducing because we're rushed or sleepy in the morning
and coast along on a cup of coffee. This is necessary in short-term reducing
diets, but appetite is controlled better through the day when we give it a
respectful breakfast nod.
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