Jan 09, 2022 18:00:00

How can I prevent people from continuing to eat when they are already full?

'I was already full, but I ate a piece of pizza that was left over on the plate.' 'I was thinking of eating only my own portion and rounding it up, but I just ate the food left by other people. There should be many people who have the experience of 'pizza'.

Amanda Salis , a senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia's School of Human Sciences, explains why people keep eating when they are full and how they can prevent overeating.

Step away from the table – why you keep eating when you're full
https://theconversation.com/step-away-from-the-table-why-you-keep-eating-when-youre-full-170649

Salis points out that it is important to explore the 'fullness signal' emitted by the brain when thinking about the problem of being full and continuing to eat. Originally, the human brain sends a satiety signal to notify you not to eat any more when it judges that you have 'ingested enough nutrients' so that you do not eat more than necessary.

The clues that the brain feels 'full' are through the stretch signals sent when the stomach and intestines are stretched by food, gastrointestinal hormones such as cholecystokinin and peptide YY secreted in response to food nutrients, and blood vessels. These include the nutrients in digested foods that reach the brain and leptin released by adipose tissue.

The brain incorporates this information into the 'satiety algorithm' and at some point signals 'stop eating anymore'. Therefore, if you do not have enough nutrients, you may continue to eat even if you are full, but unfortunately you may not be able to stop eating even if you are full, even though you are getting enough nutrients.

'It's easy to ignore the body's satiety signal, especially when people are tempted by a variety of delicious foods and feel social expectations for eating ,' Salis said, explaining why people's satiety algorithms don't work well. If you do, it's easy to overeat, and if you're drinking alcohol, you can easily ignore the satiety signal. ' In addition, the ethics that 'don't waste food' and the habit of 'eating dessert after meals' also promote overeating.

Hormones and brain chemicals associated with satiety signals also affect the mood of humans, so they may overeat in an attempt to improve negative emotions such as loneliness, stress, fear, and fatigue. If you're full and you still can't stop eating, depression, anxiety, and stress may be the cause, Salis points out. There are various other factors that cause binge eating, such as eating disorders and negative childhood experiences (adverse childhood experiences).

Depression, anxiety, and eating disorders can be ameliorated by receiving scientifically established treatments, and Salis says the following methods can help prevent overeating.

・ Write a 'full stomach diary'
Record 'whether you're full' with each meal to see if you stopped eating when you weren't full, stopped eating when you were full, or overeaten.

・ Search for the cause of overeating
Analyze what is happening to you when you feel that you have eaten too much this time. Think about whether you're dissatisfied with something, stressed, tired, procrastinating something, or overeating instead of what you really need.

・ Reduce the amount of super-processed foods

By limiting your intake of super-processed foods that contain large amounts of salt, sugar, and fat, and trying to eat a healthy diet, you can get the nutrients you need to signal satiety before you overeat. can.

・ Do not prepare more meals than necessary
In the first place, do not prepare more meals than necessary and make sure that only one person's food is served on the plate so that the situation of 'overeating' does not occur. Immediately freeze or store leftovers to physically isolate them and leave the table as soon as they are full.