I'm soooooo full......

As a follow-on from last week's blog, and as we approach a food-heavy time of year(!), I wanted to touch on the all too common behaviour of over-eating. We've all done it, and we'll all do it in the future, but if this is something which is more normal than abnormal for you, then it might help to understand why you might be falling into this uncomfortable trap.

My July/August '09 publication of Nutrition Action discussed the reasons behind the over-eating phenomena which seems to have so many in its grip, and apparently, the fault lies not in us, but in the intelligent manipulation of the sensory circuits of our brain by 3 simple ingredients: sugar, fat and salt.

Each of these (alone or together), make food compelling and indulgent in ways we cannot control, and together with some clever marketing, deem certain foods very difficult to resist. So, if you've ever been staring at a packet of chocolate chip cookies, wondering how on earth you are ever going to stop yourself from eating the ENTIRE packet, then you can rest assured that it is the sugar and fat-heavy ingredients at work, not your lack of willpower! Afterall, I challenge you to have the same thought when looking at a bag of zucchini/courgettes?!

So, how does one navigate this in everyday life? I have three succinct pieces of advice:

1. Avoid the center aisles of the grocery stores/supermarkets. These are the aisles loaded with fat, sugar and salt!
2. Control your environment when possible. Don't EVER think that you will be able to outsmart a bag of chips or a plate of cookies! If you know they're your weakness, take them OUT OF YOUR HOUSE. Fill your kitchen with all the fruit, nuts and vegetables your heart desires, but remove all traces of foods which make you want to over eat.
3. When out at restaraunts, try and pick foods which satisfy rather than stimulate your apetite ... (hint: these tend to be foods which are close to their natural forms: fruit, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains).

And as a final note, Eastern Medicine states that if you eat something which is high in salt, it stimulates the body to crave sugar, and visa versa, so be aware of the difference between using salt as a 'seasoning' and a 'flavoring'!!