The Nutrition Coach Blog London Nutritionist The Nutrition Coach offers advice on healthy living, nutrition and diet issues such as IBS, bloating, gluten intolerance and more.

In my blog last week I promised to reveal the seven different types of hunger, so as promised here is number one.  It’s eye hunger. 

The basic principle with eye hunger is that our eyes like food, and particularly food that looks good.  As a result our eyes really can be bigger than our stomach, and we can continue eating even when our stomachs are full. 

Imagine this.  You’re at work and you’ve just finished your lunch when your colleague comes around with some freshly sliced birthday cake.  Your eyes roam over the appealing dark chocolate fudge cake and are enchanted by its beauty.  Therefore, even though your stomach is protesting that it’s already full from lunch, your eyes want the cake and eventually eye hunger wins.  Sound familiar?  Similarly, if the rest of the cake was then put on the table in front of your desk… your eyes would continue to see it and want it throughout the afternoon, even though your stomach is far from hungry.

In addition, people generally decide how much of a given food they are going to eat based on feedback from the eyes, rather than feedback from the stomach.  The eyes might say, for example, ‘let’s eat half of this’ or ‘let’s eat all of this’.  Research has shown that when people are given soup from a bottomless bowl (the bowl continuously refills as they eat, without them knowing), they ate 73% more soup that people with normal bowls, but they estimated that they had eaten the same amount as everyone else.  This shows how important visual engagement is in eating and satisfying hunger. 

Luckily the power of eye hunger can actually be used to our advantage, once we have an awareness of it.  Tips to help satisfy eye hunger include:

• Using smaller plates or bowls satisfies the eyes that they have eaten a full bowl or plate full, but actually much less is consumed than if larger dishes were used.
• Using a mix of colours and shapes on your plate so that it looks visually attractive helps to satisfy the eyes, so try to add as much variety as possible (aim for a rainbow plate).
• When you eat, make sure that you stop and look at your food and let your eyes connect with it.  It might sound simple, but if you eat whilst on the computer or watching TV, your eyes don’t have a chance to observe the food being eaten and are therefore dissatisfied and disconnected, which means that eye hunger will be shouting again before long, even though your stomach is full.
• Sometimes when you feel hungry, it may not be that your body actually wants food, but that your eyes are hungry for beauty.  Experiment with feeding eye hunger, without eating any food.  Stop and look at something that you find beautiful, it may be a flower or a picture on the wall – look for colour and variety and really see things.  Feeding your eyes in this way will help to satisfy you without having to eat and go against the protests from your stomach.

Eye hunger affects everyone, but can be a particular problem in cases of binge eating and other disordered eating patterns.  If you have a question about disordered eating then please do give us a call to see if we can help you, or for more information.

Julia

Choose foods close to their natural state, source and season

• Water:  Spring water is best!
• Select foods that are free of additives and pollutants
• Whenever possible, use organically grown fruits and vegetables
• Plan meals around freshly cooked and, if tolerated, raw foods
• Minimize your use of packaged, boxed and canned products

Water: Is water bottled in plastic the best?  Probably not as oestrogens from the plastic can leach into the water especially if the bottles have been left in the sunlight.  Reverse osmosis systems are expensive but best (fitted on to your mains)

Vegetables – this is the staple of any diet.  Raw vegetables if watery but steam vegetables like broccoli and peas.  Bake or steam the more starchy vegetables like parsnips, yams etc. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) are great “anti-cancer” promoters.  Sea vegetables should not be forgotten as they are a great source of minerals (dulse, hijiki, wakame and mori)

Concerns:  If you have have an inflammatory bowel condition, sometimes it is difficult to tolerate raw vegetables – therefore puree.

Whole Grains

Grains are a source of starch, fibre and minerals and vitamins.  Use whole grains only and flours made from whole grains.  Brown rice, cracked wheat, barley, and oats are just a few of the main grains available

Concerns:  Whole grains are usually an excellent staple but some people with digestive disorders can’t  tolerate gluten.  Others cant tolerate starches or sweeteners (refined carbohydrates) – This is especially true of those who have GI infections.

Legumes

Another great staple – Beans and peas are an excellent source of protein, complex carbohydrate and fibre.  Beans are also good chelators, substances that help clear out toxins.

Lean Meats

Lean meats can supplement protein in the diet.  The best are fish and fowl – don’t forget the more obscure fowl, like pheasant as chicken is over used.

Concerns: Meat is best obtained from organic suppliers – Grass fed animals are a better source of nutrients including good fats.

Eggs: Should be organic but are also a great source of protein.

Concerns:  some people with gut disorders can be more sensitive to eggs – make sure you cook eggs well to avoid any potential problem with salmonella

Fruits – Of course fruit is a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals – best eaten alone to avoid fermentation in the gut in some.

Concerns: Dried fruit should be consumed in moderation as it is a highly concentrated form of sugar – despite the useful fibre, best to eat the fresh fruit.

Nuts and seeds

Great source of protein and good fats.

Concerns – make sure the nuts are not rancid.  Nuts and seeds are very susceptible to oxidation, which makes them rancid.

Oils

Oils are an important part of the diet.  The body needs about 2 tablespoons a day of a good quality oil, rich in essential fatty acids.  Olive oil (monounsaturated oil) is also good and has several health benefits.

Concerns:  Purchase natural oils in their freshly pressed and unfiltered state – many oils are processed and therefore have little real benefit.

Fermented Foods

Good sources are:  yoghurt, miso paste, and health food shop sauerkraut

Concerns:  Those with an over growth of candida (yeast) in the bowel can find fermented foods a problem to tolerate.

Sweeteners

Raw honey, real maple syrup nd stevia are probably the best –although all sweeteners should be used sparingly.

Concerns:  Anyone with a gut problem, should watch the sugar in any form as it encourages bad bugs.

Salt

Salt is needed if the diet is super healthy but if you are consuming junk food – watch your salt  intake

Use only very good sea salt.

Spices

There are almost countless herbs and spices that can be used to add flavour and have medicinal effects on our health.  Choose organic  herbs where possible – very spicy foods can irritate some guts.

Although an “IBS” diet might help – as there are so many causes for an unhealthy bowel – come as see us

contact us to find out how we can help!

Many people suffer with a disordered relationship to food and eating, and the essential act of nourishing one’s body can cause distress, guilt and sadness.  Whilst these individuals are not necessarily diagnosed with an eating disorder, there are a growing number of people who suffer on a daily basis with disordered eating thoughts and behaviours. 

For people with disordered eating patterns, a key step in moving towards developing a happy relationship with food is to practice mindful eating and developing awareness in the body of how hunger arises.  You may be surprised to read that there are actually seven different types of hunger.  These are: eye hunger, nose hunger, mouth hunger, stomach hunger, cellular hunger, mind hunger and heart hunger.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be addressing each of these types of hunger in more detail and exploring how they arise and how we can satisfy them.

There is a Zen saying ‘When hungry, just eat’.  Whilst it sounds simple and obvious, unfortunately it’s not.  Children know instinctively what, when and how much they should be eating, but as we get older, eating is no longer just about re-fueling.  Instead, food can begin to serve many other purposes.  It can be used to sooth, distract, numb, entertain, reward or even to punish.  Therefore, the once straightforward relationship between hunger and eating and satisfaction becomes mixed up in an array of thoughts and emotions.  By developing an awareness of mindful eating and the seven types of hunger, it’s possible to learn how to start going back to having a happy relationship with food.

To start the journey of mindful eating, try observing these steps:

1. Always sit down when eating (even for snacks).
2. Engage the senses with the food that’s being eaten.  Look at it, smell it and taste it.  This means that your attention needs to be focused on eating and not distracted by the TV, computer, phone etc.
3. Eat slowly and chew your food well.  Follow the principle of eastern traditions that solid food should become liquid before swallowing and liquids should be chewed.
4. Don’t worry about leaving food on your plate.  Listen to your body and stop eating when your body has had enough.

Eating in this way is being respectful to your body and engages the body and mind in the process.

If you suffer with disordered eating patterns, or have any questions then please do give us a call and we would be more than happy to help you at one of our London nutrition clinics.

Julia

I’m always excited to discover nourishing new foods, and this weekend it was the velvety baobab.  Baobab is a fruit grown in Africa, with a velvety green shell that protects the seeds inside.  The seeds are coated with an edible pale powder that can be added to food and drinks and has a pleasant citrus-tang.

Research has shown that baobab deserves its superfruit status as it is:

-Rich in calcium (more than milk), magnesium and potassium

-A good source of vitamin C

-High in anti-oxidants (similar levels to goji berries)

With so much going for it, why not give it a try?  Baobab powder and fruit extract are versatile and can be easily added to smoothies, fresh juices or even muesli, for an added nutrient boost.  With its high anti-oxidant and vitamin C profile it’s a fantastic addition to help support immunity and protect against autumnal bugs.

If you’re suffering with poor immunity and want further advice on how to stay healthy through the winter then please give us a call for a free chat or book in for a nutrition consultation at one of our London clinics.

Julia

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight then i’m sure you’ve been tempted by the allure that chilli peppers may hold the answer.  The secret ingredient in chili peppers with potential health benefits, including helping weight loss, having anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant properties is a compound called capsaicin. 

New research in the Journal of Proteome Research suggests that the capsaicin in chili’s may aid weight loss by stimulating the expression of certain fat degrading proteins, and down-regulating other proteins that work to synthesize fat. The study was carried out with rats and showed that rats given capsaicin lost 8% more body weight compared with the non capsaicin fed rats on the same diet. 

Your gut might not thank you if you start munching on chili peppers in your pursuit to lose weight, but adding a little bit of spice to help flavour dishes may be a helpful addition and bring some potential health benefits.

If you’re tired of trying fad diets and want some help to achieve sustained weight loss then please do contact us to discuss your situation, or to make an appointment at one of our London nutrition clinics.

Julia