Intentional Eating #2 - When Hunger and Thirst get Confused

The penultimate Intentional Eating post. Here, we try to tease out hunger verses thirst. It'll take a few guesses-and-checks to dial in listening to your body, but give it a shot.

Try drinking water if you're hungry between meals. Sometimes hunger and thirst cues get mixed, and hunger is actually thirst.

Hunger and thirst are like twins; they may seem similar at face value, but can have vastly different personalities. While Hunger calls attention to itself multiple times per day, it can keep itself occupied.

Thirst, on the other hand, is very needy. It requires near constant supervision. And when it nags, it is relentless.

From a biological standpoint, this is because we can survive weeks without eating; we can only last 1-2 days without water.

Hunger and Thirst - competitive twins that like to confuse you!

Sometimes, these two siblings get confused and competitive. Hunger comes running when Thirst is called. We eat because that's what we think our body wants. Instead, it could have done with a simple sip of water.

What can we do instead? Keep Thirst occupied. Choose water instead of juice, soda, or sweetened tea or coffee. Drinks with calories are simply empty calories - they contribute excess calories that can quickly add up for weight gain. 

Keeping that toddler in check is the best way to ensure that Hunger and Thirst don't get mixed-up again. 

Another way to think of it is like calling your body's bluff. Is your stomach claiming that it's hungry, but you don't think so because you just finished your last meal an hour ago? Call it the Boy Who Cried Wolf, or Pinocchio, or your least favorite politician - and drink some water. 

If your stomach was telling the truth after all, and you're still hungry 10 minutes after drinking water, reach for a snack. Try a small handful of almonds or walnuts (healthy fat and protein) with an apple (moderate but fast acting carbohydrate with healthy fiber). 

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 19, 2015

Intentional Eating #3 - Proper Plating

Thanks for joining us for another installment of Intentional Eating. This time, I'm revoking your Clean Plate Club membership.

Don't feel like you have to join the Clean Plate Club.

Who here has heard the phrase "waste not, want not"? What about "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? Or "children around the world are starving, don't leave that food on your plate"?

Food and eating guilt starts young. Food is a major expense in many households and wasting any is akin to wasting money. But what happens when you grow up and the costs of healthcare following overeating are more expensive than the wasted food?

Therefore, I'm revoking your membership to the Clean Plate Club. Take that plaque off your wall, the card out of your wallet, the notion out of your brain. In an analysis done in 2014 of many studies of overeating, researchers found that adults ate 92% of what they put on their plates. Kids only ate around 60% of what was on their plates. (source).

If you forgot what your membership card looked like, this is what you should be looking for in your wallet.

Because most of us were raised in households where we were told to finish more on our plates, I won't ask you to start throwing out food. Instead, plan to save a portion of the food you cook (bonus: leftovers make great lunch). Put it in tupperwares and put it in the fridge before you sit down to eat. 

When out to eat, ask for a to-go container and place some of your entree into it before you start eating. 

Look out for future-you. Future-you will thank you with extended and better quality of life.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD
September 17, 2015

Intentional Eating #4 - Reframing Socialization

Working towards the finish in the Intentional Eating countdown, we'll discuss a crucial reason why we eat when we aren't hungry: socialization. Friends, families, and work colleagues who need a reason to get together automatically choose food as a starting point. An alternative?

Plan get-togethers around activities instead of meals.

We choose meals to center our socialization because for many of us, that's how we subconsciously organize our day. 

When will the kids do their homework - before or after dinner? When will that report be filed - before or after lunch? Where will we take our spouse for the next date - the Italian restaurant for dinner, or the Moroccan one for lunch?

This concept of timing makes evolutionary and biological sense. Because we need food so frequently compared to other species, we need to frame our days around our meals. If we were ball pythons that needed one meal per month, our days may be structured around other necessary milestones.

However, we are humans, and as such, we have social needs to fill as well as food needs. Therefore, it makes sense to fall into the pattern of grouping the two together. However, this can result in excuses being made to overeat or overindulge on a "special occasion" treat.

Consider activities for some get-togethers instead of meals. Don't go cold-turkey on bonding over turkey, but instead of the after-work beer with your coworker, suggest a walk around the local park. Rather than a December 26th pig out of Christmas leftovers, try sledding or playing in the snow.

This idea fits under the practice of reframing.

Rabbit=old habits, hand=new habits

Reframing can be practiced by seeing old habits in a new way. Something to note is that reframing socialization requires that your friends and family support the new habit. If they need to be reminded why the new way is important, introduce them to this blog.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 15, 2015

Intentional Eating #5 - No More Bad Aftertastes

Over the hill on the Intentional Eating countdown. With 6 tips in, hopefully you've started to incorporate a couple of these here and there. If so, leave a comment below how you've best implemented Intentional Eating.

Brush your teeth after you eat. This will remove any bad aftertastes that make you want to eat more to cleanse your palate. A similar effect can be achieved by drinking water flavored with lemon or mint.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I am to give recommendations based on evidence - not personal experience. This is the one exception to the rule, and the reasoning behind it is two-fold. 

First: brushing your teeth and drinking more water are healthy for more than just weight loss. Dental hygiene is necessary for whole-body health and most of us are dehydrated and don't even know it. Unless you drink too much water (which is possible), or are eating your toothpaste instead of spitting it out, there is no harm in this recommendation.

Second: this recommendation is not costly. It's not like an extraordinarily expensive essential oil that I am claiming will cure every ail and make you drop weight in a week. Nope, tooth brushing and tap water are very cheap recommendations. 

Because there's no bodily or financial harm to this recommendation, give it a shot. Analyze how you feel after you eat and if you want to eat more. Do you want to eat more because you're hungry, or because you need to cleanse your palate?


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 13, 2015

Intentional Eating #6 - Hiding Your Trigger Foods

It's the halfway point of the Intentional Eating countdown! This time, we work on honing your smart snacking skills, and continuing to remove the over-eating booby traps.

Place “trigger foods” in difficult to reach locations, or locations you don’t check often (like that cabinet above the fridge).

Ever heard of the "seafood" diet? If you see food, you eat it. Many of us are unknowingly on this diet - if the food is in sight, we'll want to eat it.

Why do we want to eat food if we see it? Are we simply bored, and looking for something to do? Maybe you didn't know you wanted it until you saw it staring at you on the shelf. Or perhaps it's been a part of your routine for so long to place the bag of chocolates within sight that it happens without much thought now.

Regardless of the motivation, this is a clearly documented phenomenon; you are not alone. A 2006 study used 40 secretaries over 4 weeks to see how proximity and container color influenced amount of candy consumed (source).

The researchers found that if the candy was on their desk (verses 2 meters away), secretaries ate 1.8 more candies per day. If the candy was in a clear container (rather than an opaque container), they ate 2.2 more candies per day. 

Therefore, if the candy averaged 80 calories per candy (the amount in a fun-size Snickers) and the candy was in a clear container on their desk, these secretaries were eating 240 more calories per day than if the candy wasn't close and visible. That's about 1/2 lb of weight gain per week!

A graphical explanation of the 2006 study - from Crouse Hospital Online Wellness Center (source)

The concept of "out of sight, out of mind" typically comes with negative connotations. We don't see the to-do list, so we forget to do it. However, use this small flaw in human nature to your advantage.

Get those trigger-foods out of sight. Put them behind a barrier, in a cabinet, or just don't buy them in the first place. If the placement of trigger foods is out of your control (i.e. if your coworker also saw this article, and placed the candy jar at your cubicle, and you'd rather spare yourself the office drama), put a barrier between you and the food. Try a potted plant, a family picture, or an office calendar.

A similar concept applies to responding to other triggers of food consumption. For example, if you get breakfast from a fast food restaurant every morning because it's on your way to work, and there is no way you can drive past it without getting something, take a different route. Even if it adds 5 minutes to your commute, swapping the habit can take inches off your waistline.

The bottom line: identify your triggers, identify your excuses, identify your solutions. Implement your solutions to help support your new "out of sight, out of mind" motto.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 9, 2015

Intentional Eating #7 - Distracted Dining

After this, we're nearly halfway done with the Intentional Eating countdown. This time, it's more about what you're doing while eating dinner than what you're eating for dinner.

Don't watch tv, read, or check your phone while eating. Keep distractions in a separate area. Distracted eating makes it difficult for your brain to register full signals.

To best explain this phenomenon, we'll look at a study that analyzed women's intakes of Jaffa Cakes (source). Are you reading this as a fellow American, and don't know what a Jaffa Cake is? Here's an example, and description:

A sponge cookie, orange flavored jelly, topped with chocolate.
Looks to me like the British version of Girl Scout Cookies

The study had all participants eat 5 Jaffa Cakes and then rate how full they were. The distracted group played a computer game, while the non-distracted group sat in silence with their Jaffa Cakes. They then rated their level of fullness and their desire to eat another food after finishing the Jaffa Cakes.

Even when controlling for initial hunger, distracted participants did want to eat more food after eating the five Jaffa Cakes while the silent-eaters were quite satiated. 

Think back to the last time you ate - were you on your phone? Watching TV? Chasing after children? Thinking about what you were going to do at work? Having a spirited discussion or argument across the table? Are you eating right now, and reading this blog at the same time?

Now try to remember how much you ate. What did it it taste like? Did you feel full afterwards? What was your favorite part of that food?

If it's difficult to answer these questions, it's understandable to identify with the distracted, video-game playing, Jaffa Cake-eaters.

Eliminating distractions before and during a meal can not only help you eat less, but also be happier about what you ate. It can help eliminate food-related guilt, because you'll appreciate the meal more. The flavors, textures, and variety come alive, and each bite is satisfying.

I challenge you to try eating without distractions at your next eating opportunity. It can be at any meal or snack. While eating, give yourself the time to enjoy the moment. None of us are too busy to make focused eating a priority - consider it an investment in your relationship with food.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 7, 2015

Intentional Eating #8 - Portioning for Success

We've reached the third installment of the 10 steps to Intentional Eating countdown. Here, we discuss how to prevent portion-sabotage. Look out for your future self by removing potential over-eating booby traps.

Instead of eating chips out of the bag or cookies out of the container, portion a few out into a bowl or plate

Diet and behavior research can be pretty quirky. There was a study done not too long ago about children's decision making and willpower. The design was this: the children were provided a marshmallow, but told that if they could wait a specified period if time, they would receive more marshmallows. Would the children be able to understand delayed gratification? See for yourself:

The point of bringing this up is that researchers sometimes do creative things to evaluate people's relationships with food. The bottomless soup bowl study did just that; in fact, it did such a good job, it won an Ig Nobel Prize (soup... I mean source).

And, if you want to hear more about the designer of the bottomless soup bowl experiment, here is a video:

The point of these clips is that our brains and stomach are at war over telling us that we're full. We often don't let our brains hear what our stomachs are trying to tell them. If eating chips is a big part of your day, and you're not comfortable changing that, try changing how many chips you eat.

Portion out the chips into a separate container and put the chip bag up and away. Go on about your routine, whether it's pouring the salsa into a bowl or chatting with a friend. If you finish the pre-portioned amount and can't stop obsessing over getting more chips, it might be a good time to examine why you wanted the chips in the first place and address it.

In the end, controlling portions and eating a reasonable amount is like the marshmallow experiment. Although it may be difficult to wait and see the fruits of your labor, the benefits of delayed gratification will be well worth it. Don't give up on your path to health; that researcher delivering your reward marshmallow may just be about to open the door.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 5, 2015