We know how tricky—and oftentimes touchy—the subject of overeating is. People have different thresholds in becoming busog or feeling full. We encourage you to enjoy life in all its tastes and flavors, but not without some friendly suggestions to make sure you never go overboard eating food.
Understanding when you've had enough to eat is essential for healthy eating habits. Satiety, the feeling of fullness, is influenced by various factors like fiber intake, stress levels, sleep patterns, and hydration. Mindful eating, stress reduction, and proper hydration can help prevent overeating, promoting overall well-being and healthier relationships with food.
Getting in Touch with your Gut Feelings
Getting in Touch with your Gut Feelings
But first, an appetizer: what does satiety actually mean? Scientifically, it refers to the physical and psychological satisfaction brought about by our eating and drinking. When you believe it in your gut that there’s no more room at the inn, that's busog.
The sensation can come immediately after a good meal and, depending on the nutritional contents of the meal, can last for hours. Hunger comes knocking in the form of a rumbling stomach, dizziness and tremors, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, or stomach discomforts.
Now it’s time for the main course! Grab a plate as we dish out some tips on avoiding overeating.
Feel Fuller with Fiber
Feel Fuller with Fiber
Quality over quantity—we’ve all heard this phrase before, but when it comes to food, it’s even more true! Mindful eating is less about how much we eat and more about what we eat. Going for fiber-rich foods will not only help you feel full, but also stay that way, longer. On a more medical sense, high-fiber foods add volume and delay gastric emptying. The clear winners when it comes to high fiber foods are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
It’s Best Not to Stress
It’s Best Not to Stress
We all need to reduce our stress levels—easier said than done, but did you know that stress releases elevated levels of cortisol? High rates of this hormone may trigger hunger symptoms which make you want to binge without actually needing to eat. So, next time you feel a wave of stress coming, you can instead try some deep breathing techniques or meditation to get you back on track.
Nighty-Night, Not Bitey-Bite
Nighty-Night, Not Bitey-Bite
When was the last time you indulged in a midnight snack? If the answer is “recently”, then you might want to consider changing your sleeping habits. Sleeping late or not getting enough sleep causes our hunger hormones to become unregulated which can lead to overeating in the daylight.
Go for More Gulps
Go for More Gulps
Imagine a tank that can be filled with anything—solid, liquid, and yes, even gas. That’s the stomach for you! Since water occupies space in the stomach, drinking enough water can help with feeling full. When your water intake is low, this means that there is space in your stomach to be filled and we sometimes confuse this with hunger. To check if you're really hungry, go for a glass or two of water first. If that doesn’t make the cut, you can then go for something solid and tasty.
Final Food for Thought
Final Food for Thought
Regular exercise, yoga, and meditation are great side dishes that work well with these foundational good practices to avoid binge eating. In and of itself, overeating does not indicate any medical ailment, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. If you believe that you have fallen into the habit of binge eating, talk to a dietician or nutritionist. This can be turned around with the right help.
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/health/emotional-eating
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/how-to-stop-overeating
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321725
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/head-off-binge
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-overcome-binge-eating
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