Tuning into Your Hunger Number

photocred: www.ahbeard.com.au
photocred: www.ahbeard.com.au

Mindful eating helps us feel what our body is telling us and how best to nourish it. How do we know when we are hungry enough to eat and when to stop eating especially when faced with large portion sizes, emotional eating or a sea of food supporting the Seefood diet!. Often we grab food when we are most hungry say at a 2 or 3 on the hunger scale and we stop eating long after we start to feel our fullness kick in for example at a 9 or 10. Read on to get familiar with your hunger numbers.

 Know your hunger numbers.  Get acquainted with your hunger and fullness levels. Gage your hunger using a scale based from 1-10. This simple pause to determine the number that best fits both your hunger level and your fullness level will get you in touch with what your body really needs. Try This:  Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 through 10.  Rating your hunger at a 1 means you could eat a horse and rating it a 10 means you are so stuffed you cannot comfortably move. Ideally you should start eating at 3 or 4 and stop eating at a 6 or 7.

Are You Hungry Enough to Eat An Apple? This phrase was published in Michael Pollin’s Top Food Rules in the New York Times in October 2009. It came from a reply to a blog request I had seen online.  Es that was my 15 minutes of fame and it made it into main stream media!  It has been re-quoted and re-tweeted many times and even appeared on the Dr. Oz show as labeled,  “Dr. Oz and the Apple Test” !

Savor the MomentOften we turn to food to cope with negative emotions. Why? Eating can distract us from our worries and temporarily increase our state of wellbeing. Instead of stuffing down the emotions with food we can listen to our emotions and react to them using healthier tactics such as talking with friends or practicing the art of mindful eating.

Try This: Take a tiny piece of chocolate the size of a Hershey Kiss or smaller. Before you chew it- let it sit in your mouth and melt for a full minute- note the flavors and textures. Become aware of the smell and taste and feel of the chocolate. You will be amazed at how delicious it tastes, how creamy it feels and how rich it smells.