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Written by Michelle Shelton
March 27, 2024
It might seem obvious to say eating should be satisfying. You might even think, that's exactly my problem! It's too satisfying. That is exactly why I need diets and restrictions. But the satisfaction of eating is so much more than the taste buz we get while eating. It is how we feel afterward. It is the emotional sense of having both enjoyed and having had enough. In fact, if you struggle with reaching that feeling of having had enough, you haven't reached real satisfaction. Without this feeling, your drive to eat may continue even as your physical hunger needs have been met.
Here are some tips to help you get in touch with your eating satisfaction.
Be hungry, but not too hungry
My grandma used to say hunger is a good cook. There truly is something about real hunger that opens up your palate to a variety of options. I have a vivid memory of eating a packaged meal on a backpacking trip with my family as a teenager after a long day’s hike. Just add water, and viola…hot, creamy potato soup. I had never tasted anything so delicious. At home, away from the extreme conditions and limited options of the Uintah mountains, I was excited to eat one of our extra packages for lunch. In that moment I had never tasted anything so disgusting. What a difference hunger makes!
At the same time, try to avoid getting too hungry. Extreme hunger inhibits your ability to eat slowly and really experience and enjoy your food. Taste doesn’t really matter, enjoyment doesn’t really matter, you just need food.
Familiarity with the food
If you have ever been through the experience of feeding a child, you may know that it takes multiple exposures of some food before they accept it and eat it readily. Any type of exposure - seeing it, smelling it, touching it, and eventually tasting it - will make a difference. This process is especially relevant in childhood as children are learning eating skills and building familiarity with the world around them. But it continues to be true for all of us throughout our lives. If you have ever lived in a foreign country, you know the process of first rejecting the unfamiliar foods to eventually savoring them and seeking them out. It’s a product of familiarity. If you want to enjoy more foods, incorporate more foods into your weekly routines.
Familiarity with your individual taste preferences
Sometimes when it comes to “healthy eating” we think we need to disregard our own taste preferences. If it tastes good, it must not be good for me…how many times have you thought this? As a dietitian, I hear it all the time. But really, you should be free to pay attention to your own taste preferences. Maybe you don’t like foods prepared a certain way. Try them another way. I don’t like steamed asparagus. I only eat it roasted with a little oil and salt. I could eat this every day (but I don’t 🙂). There is no need for steamed asparagus in my life. Give yourself permission to have this awareness and freedom to follow your preferences. I don’t like salad soggy in dressing. I don’t like warm milk. I don’t like canned corn. There are so many more delicious options in the world!
Familiarity with your preference in the moment
As I write this, it’s the fourth day of spring. And it snowed - a lot! Six inches of fresh snow on the fourth day of spring. It was a soup day. Something warm to take away the chill of a long, a snowy winter. Many factors can influence what food will satisfy in any given instance. It could depend on the weather, on your mood, on what other foods you have eaten that day. Notice what your body is telling you and what will really satisfy you.
Paying attention
We live in a world full of hustle and bustle. So much going on, so much rush, so much to do, endless busy-ness. It's impossible to really enjoy your food if you’re multitasking during meals. And it’s really hard to feel your fullness and be truly in tune to your body cues. I find myself constantly coaching my children to sit down at the table to eat. Eat slowly and really taste the food in your mouth. Pause to reflect on your enjoyment and fullness. It’s good advice for my kids, it’s good advice for all of us. Sit down, slow down, and enjoy.
Don’t settle for anything less than full enjoyment.
This last point comes with two caveats. As you bring awareness to your eating experience, as you notice your satisfaction level, don’t settle for food you don’t really, truly enjoy. It’s ok to politely decline food or leave it on your plate if you don’t truly enjoy it. The first caveat, in cases of food insecurity, you may not have this luxury. That is a personal call each of us has to make. The second caveat, I do believe it is important to try new things and taste new foods multiple times to give yourself the chance to determine if you really do or don’t like it. You don’t need to choke down huge amounts of a food you don’t like just for the sake of exposure. But by all means, give it a taste, give it a chance to become a food you can enjoy. These two caveats aside, food should be enjoyed and it is ok to make this a prerequisite for what you choose to eat.
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