Sunday, March 9, 2008

Hunger-Fullness Scaling

The following is an excerpt from the book Losing Weight Permanently with the Bull’s-Eye Food Guide, by Josephine Connolly Schoonen, Bull Publishing, 2004.

Hunger/fullness scaling is a realistic strategy for long-term weight management. The process involves the following:

1) becoming very aware of how physically hungry or full you are before, during and after eating;
2) becoming very sensitive to subtle differences in hunger and fullness; and
3) responding appropriately to different levels of hunger and fullness.

To measure your level of hunger or fullness, use the 0 to 10 scale described in Table 9-1.



On the hunger-fullness scale, 5 is noted to be comfortable, neither hungry nor full. Increasing hunger is represented by increasingly lower numbers on the scale. A 4 on the scale is when you first become aware that you are less than comfortably full, but you are still comfortable. At 2 you are very hungry, your stomach feels empty and may be growling. A 1 on the scale may be associated with a headache, feeling fatigued or shaky hands. Finally at 0, you are starving, and feelings of fatigue, light-headedness and shakiness are more intense. Higher numbers are associated with fullness. Fullness is a bit trickier to judge than hunger. This is because your stomach has to send chemical signals to your brain so that you recognize fullness. These chemical signals need about 20 to 30 minutes to travel through your bloodstream to your brain. Therefore, for about a half hour after you stop eating you continue to feel increasingly full. Just above comfortable, 6 on the hunger-fullness scale indicates that you are just beginning to feel full. A 7 represents being comfortably full. Eight is when your clothes start to feel tight, and 9 is when you feel uncomfortably full. At 10 you are completely stuffed, and may experience burping or reflux from your stomach up your esophagus. Everybody experiences hunger and fullness differently, so you should consider the descriptors above as guidelines. Modify the scale to reflect you personal signals of hunger and fullness.

Now, to start becoming aware of your own levels of hunger and fullness, as well as of subtle differences in levels of hunger and fullness, use the hunger-fullness scaling worksheet presented in Table 9-1. In the first row, you are encouraged to generally plan to have healthy foods available for meals and snacks. This will prevent stopping off at the deli or the hot truck when hunger cues begin and you do not have a plan or easy access to healthy foods. Following your plan saves hundreds of Calories. If you know you will be out of the house or at work when you get hungry in the afternoon, give some thought as to what choices you will have for lunch. Will there be a place with a healthy salad bar – lean meat, fish or chicken, beans, lots of vegetables, olive oil-based salad dressing and whole grains? Or will your only choices be a high-fat deli sandwich, burgers, hot dogs, pizza or fries? If healthy options will be limited, plan to bring lunch.

Sometimes you will not follow through on your plan. Therefore in the next row of the worksheet shown in Table 9-1, write in the foods you actually do eat at each meal and snack soon after eating. Take time to reflect how often and under what circumstances you deviate from your plan. Does it happen more often when you are stressed or with certain people? How about when you are tired or lonely? Increasing your awareness of these types of patterns is the first step to exploring your relationship with food and improving your eating habits.

Although you are not recording amounts of food, you will be recording levels of hunger and fullness as a means to re-connect the amount of food you eat to internal physiological signals. As an infant, this connection was intact, and you ate when you were hungry and stopped eating when you were full. However, as you grew you were probably encouraged to finish bottles, take one more bite or clean your plate. As you grew even older, you were increasingly exposed to advertisements luring you to eat, eat, eat! Re-establishing this connection takes practice and effort. On the hunger-fullness worksheet, there are gray bubbles in the actual intake row. In the first bubble highest in the box record your level of hunger before you start eating, and in the second bubble record your level of fullness after you are done eating. At first you may find it difficult to assign a number to your level of hunger and fullness, but as you practice you will become increasingly confident in your ability to do so.

Finally in the last notes cell, write how you were feeling, whom you ate with and where you ate, as well as other factors that may affect what or how much you eat. The goal is to stay between a 2 or 3 on the hunger side and 7 on the fullness side. When your hunger gets to a level 2 or 3, you should begin to eat. If you let yourself get too hungry, such as a level 0 or 1, you are more likely to make poor choices, eat quickly and eat too much in response. You should stop eating at a level 7, and about a half hour after eating you may bounce up to an 8. If you eat beyond this level, you are eating for reasons other than physiological hunger. You should keep hunger-fullness records for a few days or weeks, and look for patterns and trends.

Continue this process until the urge to eat dissipates or until you become legitimately hungry and eat. At first it may be difficult to delay eating, but by practicing this process you will be increasingly aware of your hunger and fullness and of subtle differences in the level of hunger and fullness. You will also become increasingly confident in your ability to respond appropriately – to delay non-hunger eating and to eat when you are hungry. Mastering the hunger-fullness scaling process is one of the keys to long-term success.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

From A to Zinc


Everyone knows that vitamins are essential to human health, but how much is enough, or even too much? According to the National Academy of Sciences, Food and Nutrition Board, the amount of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes an individual should consume varies throughout a lifetime (depending on age and whether you are pregnant or lactating). Using the Dietary Reference Intake Chart, you can determine the correct amount of these nutrients to incorporate into your daily diet.
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Multivitamin supplements (i.e. Centrum, Flintstones) are a great addition to a healthy diet. However, they are NOT a replacement for food since they only contain a fraction of essential nutrients required of a healthy diet. Additionally, there are many nutrients in foods that can not be bottled or packed into a small pill.
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Visit http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/vitaminsandminerals/ to learn more about the role of vitamins and minerals in human health, as well as what foods to find them in.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

What's in your food?


Have you ever glanced at the nutrition facts on the box or bag of food you ate? This information is useful, so take a look! Let's talk about what it means...

The first part of the label to look at is "Serving Size." Most people may thing that a serving size is the entire can, box, bag, etc. of food, but usually this is not the case. For example, if you glimpse at the nutrition facts on a 20 fl. oz. bottle of Pepsi, 1 serving size is 8 fl. oz. (not the whole bottle of soda). You may think the bottle of soda is only 100 calories, unfortunately, it's actually 250 calories (Nutrition Information obtained from the Pepsi Product Info page).

Next, you should look at the amount of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, etc. found in one serving size. Here are some general guidelines to follow for each of these nutrients:
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1. Calories. Your daily calorie intake depends on your BMR (which accounts for your weight, height, age and gender). For a food to be considered "low fat," there should be less than 3 grams of total fat per 100 calories.

2. Fat. Saturated fat and trans fat are notoriously bad for your body. These fats should be avoided at all costs. Polyunsaturated fats (i.e. omega-3s) and monounsaturated fats, however, are good for the body. Omega-3s are best and can be found in fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, beans and olive oil.

3. Cholesterol. Excessive amounts of cholesterol are bad for the body. So how much is too much? Your body is capable of producing just the right amount of cholesterol (needed to keep cell membranes fluid and to produce some hormones), so taking in any amount from food is unnecessary and can be harmful.

4. Sodium. Sodium is important to help regulate blood pressure and blood volume, however too much is harmful. As a general rule of thumb, the milligrams of sodium should be about the same as total calories per serving.

5. Carbohydrates. Fiber is an important part of the diet, which helps to move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. A serving size should contain at least 3 grams of fiber. However, there should be less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Too much sugar in the blood at any given time can lead to non-ezymatic glycosylation of the blood vessels, which causes damage.
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Other nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, calcium and iron may be listed on the nutrition label. These nutrients are necessary for the body, but will be discussed on a later post ;)

Finally, you should read over the ingredients list. The most important ingredients to avoid are high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Fructose corn syrup causes insulin resistance, which ultimately leads to diabetes Type 2. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are trans fat!! Although many food items claim to be trans-fat free, one look at the ingredients list will prove otherwise.

So take a look at the nutrition label of the foods in your cupboard... What's in your food?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Bull's-Eye Food Guide


An alternative to the Food Pyramid, the Bull's-Eye Food Guide helps individuals to understand healthy dieting. According to this diagram, a person's diet should include Water, Carbohydrates (grains, starches, sugars), Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy Products (milk, yogurt), Proteins and Fats. The majority of a person's diet should consists of carbohydrates, represented by a larger portion of the diagram. Other food groups that are represented by smaller portions should compose smaller amounts of a person's diet.

The foods listed in the center of the bull's-eye (in green) are the healthiest foods from each food group that you can eat often everyday. The foods listed in yellow are healthy foods that can be eaten everyday as well. The foods listed in the red, however, are foods that can be eaten after you stop and consider how many foods you have eaten from the red section in other food groups that day.

Click on the image to enlarge and read. What foods from each group do you eat everyday?

Sunday, February 17, 2008

BMI: Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index (BMI ) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women. It is a reliable calculation, however it does have some limits: It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build and/or it may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

Use a BMI calculator to estimate your total body fat (see link below). Your BMI score will determine whether you are underweight (below 18.5) , normal weight(18.5 - 24.9) , overweight (25.0 - 29.9) or obese (30.0 and above).

If you are considered obese or overweight, you should speak to a doctor to see see if you are at risk of developing diseases associated with obesity and/or should lose weight.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Calculate your BMR

Use this calculator to determine your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. Using this calculator, you can determine the calorie intake to maintain your current weight and/or to lose one pound per week.


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This blog is intended to educate students and adults about nutrition, exercise and other issues regarding human health. It is a source of information to help improve your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Please check daily for news, videos and interactive materials. Feel free to post questions and/or comments. :)

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