Category Archives: Nutrition

Psychology of Hunger and Eating

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In our two previous posts on hunger, we’ve looked at why many of us always seem hungry and foods that help us feel fuller (and, possibly, delay the feeling of hunger afterward). As we’ve noted, however, the feeling of hunger and how much we eat isn’t always just physical. Psychological factors such as our surroundings, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, experiences and cultural backgrounds also play a significant role in our eating habits. Here are some of the key psychology of hunger and eating factors that relate to what and how much we eat and how satisfied we feel after a meal: Portion size: The visual presentation of a meal can influence how full people feel. Larger portion sizes tend to make people feel more satisfied, even if the caloric content is the same as a smaller portion. This is known as the “portion size effect.” Plate and bowl size: The size … Continue reading →

Foods That Keep You Full the Longest

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As of 2010, approximately 69% of Americans were considered overweight or obese. And that number continues to increase each year. What’s the secret to losing (or at least just maintaining) weight? “For weight loss, diet seems to be more effective than physical activity,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “You have to do huge amounts of physical activity to lose weight, but you can get a better energy deficit just by cutting down on calories.” And at least one study found that participants eating a high fiber, high protein diet lost more body weight than participants who were not. That’s because foods that are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats tend to keep you full for longer periods of time. These types of foods take longer to digest, slow down the emptying of your stomach, and help stabilize your blood sugar levels, leading to a prolonged feeling of fullness. Here … Continue reading →

Why am I Always Hungry?

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Hunger is a complex physiological and psychological response, influenced by a variety of factors. The frequency with which people feel hungry can vary widely based on factors such as individual metabolism, activity level, diet, and overall health. On average, however, most people experience some level of hunger multiple times throughout the day. But what if you’re someone who seems to be hungry all the time?! 10 Reasons Why You May Always Feel Hungry If you’re someone who has almost constant hunger pains (even after eating, at night, or when you’re tired), or you find that your hunger patterns are causing discomfort or disrupting your daily life, here may be some potential reasons to consider that may be causing your constant hunger: Diet Composition: Consuming foods that are high in simple carbohydrates and sugars can lead to rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, which can trigger feelings of hunger … Continue reading →

Nutritional Therapy Advice

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What’s the #1 nutrition mistake? Not eating nutrient-dense foods. Some foods give you an abundance of life-sustaining nutrients – these are known as “nutrient-dense foods”. Other so-called “foods” have no nutritional value or even negative nutritional value – they drain you of nutrients. These are processed “junk foods” manufactured with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and white flour. Soda (pop), margarine, canola oil are toxic and artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet™ (aspartame), Splenda® and Equal® are linked to brain tumors, memory loss, and vision damage. GM or genetically-modified foods are to be avoided. Soy is especially unhealthy because it is often genetically modified, difficult to digest and affects the thyroid and hormones. Exceptions are fermented soy products such as soy sauce, natto, tempeh, and miso. Nutrient-dense foods include healthy fats and oils (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, tallow, duck fat, lard), grass-fed beef and … Continue reading →

Wear socks to bed, but not a bra!

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Wear socks to bed … Swiss researchers found that people fell asleep quickest when their hands and feet were warmest. This happens because warm feet and hands cause blood vessels to enlarge, allowing more heat to escape your body, which in turn lowers your core temperature faster and causes you to fall asleep. Putting on socks may help you fall asleep in half the time it normally takes. (1) … But not a bra Bras, with their straps and hooks and especially underwires, dig into the skin and interfere with the flow of lymph through your lymphatic system. The result can be health problems that, apart from irritations, welts, indentations and cysts, include an increased risk of breast cancer. One 1991 Harvard study found that wearing a bra 24/7 increased the incidence of breast cancer by 100%. (2)  Questions and answers about chiropractic Question: What diseases do chiropractors treat? Answer: … Continue reading →

Fried Foods for Mardi Gras

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Back To Health Your guide to better living Dr. Jeffrey P. Meyers, DC, FIAMA Fried foods are a popular part of the American diet. Americans lead very fast paced lives and tend to sacrifice health for convenience and time. While these foods are simply irresistible for many, scientists consider them to be high-risk foods that can be detrimental to one’s health, especially when they are not eaten in moderation as part of a well-balanced diet. French fries are among the most commonly consumed fried food products. When potatoes are cooked in trans fat at high temperatures, all sorts of interesting and very unpleasant things occur. Foods that are fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils are particularly problematic. These products contain polyunsaturated fats that easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of damaging free radicals in the body. … Continue reading →

Choosing a Multiple Vitamin

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Why Take a Multiple Vitamin-Mineral Supplement? Everyone should take a multiple vitamin-mineral (MVM) supplement. One double-blind study of healthy volunteers published in Psychopharmacology 2000;150:220–5, found that an MVM supplement significantly reduced anxiety and perceived stress levels, and possibly improved energy and the ability to concentrate. Preliminary and double-blind trials have shown that women who use an MVM containing folic acid, beginning three months before becoming pregnant and continuing through the first three months of pregnancy, have a significantly lower risk of having babies with neural tube defects (e.g., Spina-Bifida) and other congenital defects. In another double-blind trial, school children received a daily low-potency vitamin-mineral tablet containing only 50% of the USRDA for most essential vitamins and the minerals for three months. Dramatic gains in certain measures of IQ were observed in about 20% of the supplemented children. These gains may have been due to the correction of specific nutrient deficiencies … Continue reading →

The Importance of Fat

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Weight Loss Breakthroughs How many of these come out every year? Dieting is an obsessional behavior; it is not normal or rational. Most conventional diets cleverly encourage the obsession by having you count calories or remembering what you can or cannot eat. These diets treat eating in complicated ways according to inflexible rules. Fat-free usually means added sugar and caffeine. You need to ask yourself does being thin mean that you are healthy? NO! Thin people get cancer and heart disease. It’s the nutritional quality of food combined with exercise that make life, longevity (and weight loss) a permanently attainable goal. Counting fat grams takes your focus off of the nutritional quality of the food; you assume that all fats are equal. By eating more nutritious foods and including some QUALITY fat in your diet you will get hungry less often. So the question becomes “what are good fats”? Omega 3 … Continue reading →