TresSugar

Hunger: Is It Your Brain or Your Stomach?

Heather Dale — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 02:05:41 PDT

Feel hunger pangs, find food, eat food - sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, there's a long list of reasons as to why we eat in addition to just physiological hunger pangs. With obesity rates in the United States continuing to climb, it's important for people to not only be conscious about what they are eating, but the motives behind their eating habits. Here's how to know if you're eating to satiate your brain, or your belly.

Stomach hunger: Stomach hunger is exactly that: the feeling when you experience hunger pangs, stomach growling, and you physically need food. It tends to mount as more time passes since your last meal, and is dependent on factors like the hypothalamus in your brain, your blood sugar levels, hormone levels in your body, and how empty your stomach is. Feeling tired, moody, light-headed, having a headache, or finding it difficult to focus are all symptoms of real physical hunger.
Mind hunger: Otherwise known as "psychological hunger," this type of hunger is often caused by emotions triggered by stress, sadness, boredom, and even sometimes happiness. You aren't physiologically hungry, and you tend to eat more than normal since you don't know when to stop. Usually, you crave one particular thing, and if you wait it out, the craving tends to go away. The key is to recognize your cravings and to learn how to control them. Thanks to our brains, fatty, sugary foods release chemicals called opioids into our bloodstream. It's these chemicals that put us in a mild euphoric "feel good" state, therefore just reinforcing our cravings.

Keep reading to learn how to control mind hunger.

New Study: Eating Speed Does Not Determine Satiety

Kristen Hawley — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:01:20 PST

Although eating slower may help you eat less, it may not positively affect to your snacking habits - another potentially weight-gaining habit. A new study found that, the amount of food and drink being equal, spreading out a meal over time and eating the same meal in 30 minutes has no bearing on whether or not a person chooses to snack after a meal. So, picture a slow, four-course meal at a restaurant and the same food consumed in a 30-minute time span for comparison's sake.

These results shouldn't be confused with previous knowledge though, it's still true that it takes the body 20 minutes to register satiety, which means that eating quickly could lead you to overeat - or at least eat more than your body needs. But what the study did discover is that even though people said they felt fuller after a longer meal, they didn't actually behave that way when presented with more food.

Snack cravings or not, eating slowly has other advantages, too. Fast eaters are also at risk for acid reflux and indigestion (so check out some tips for slowing down if you're an unintentional fast eater). The moral of the study: the volume and caloric makeup of the food you eat will determine how full you feel, regardless of how fast you eat it; watch your portions and choose healthy snacks when you do eat between meals.

Why Is White Rice So Blah For Your Bod Compared to Brown Rice?

Heather Dale — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:35:16 PST

It's been about six years now that I haven't been able to eat gluten. Through trial and error, after finally cutting out bread, pastas, cakes, pizza, beer, and more, the tumultuous stomach tailspins stopped. Brown rice became my savior, since I was easily able to add it to many dishes and I was able to make the switch to brown rice pasta, brown rice bread, brown rice crackers, and more (and no, contrary to belief, it doesn't taste like cardboard!).

I like to have a glass half full outlook on life, so when I learned that my croissant-obsessed days were over, I got creative in the kitchen, real creative. And not only that, but what I learned is that staying away from white rice and its cohorts is actually much better for me healthwise! Compared to white rice, brown rice is light years ahead in terms of nutritional value. Did you know that if you eat just two servings of brown rice a week, you can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, while eating white rice on a regular basis increases the chances of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent? Here's a little tip for all you sushi lovers: If a restaurant doesn't offer brown rice sushi, ask them if they can make your sushi without the rice. Tell them you're not a stickler if it falls apart and they'll usually oblige.

White rice is what's inside brown rice after the brown rice is polished down, removing the bran and the beneficial nutrients. Keep reading to see a white rice vs. brown rice comparison chart.

Which Cereal Has More Fiber?

Michele Bell — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:30:35 PST

One of my resolutions for 2011 is to eat more fiber, and one of the easiest ways to get it in your diet is to take it down first thing in the morning with a bowl of cereal. But do you know which ones offer the richest amounts? Come take my quiz and see what you know!

Take the Quiz

Whole vs. Reduced vs. Low-Fat vs. Nonfat Milk

Michele Bell — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:15:29 PST

When you are doctoring up your coffee or tea at the sugar and milk stand, do you know how much of a difference those tall silver canisters can make in your hot drink? Some reach for the skim while others feel free to douse the cup with the heavier cream. And when it comes to choosing milk for cereals or as a beverage, it can make even more of a difference. If you're curious to see how the various types of milk compare, just

Snack Attack: Peanut Butter and Honey Balls

Michele Bell — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:30:30 PST

If you're a peanut butter lover, I've got a snack for you. Chock-full of protein, iron, and fiber, these tasty treats are delicious sources of healthy nutrients, but they're also bursting of flavor. Discovered on one of my favorite new websites, 100daysofrealfood.com, this small and powerful snack is made without the help of any processed foods.

Sound enticing? Come check out the simple recipe!

100 Days of Real Food: You In?

Michele Bell — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:05:27 PST

There's a reason (or two!) why people just can't say no to fast food. It's fast. And easy. And sometimes regrettably delicious. But, there's also a reason why we shouldn't be gobbling up Krispy Kremes with coffee and chowing down on Big Macs at lunchtime. It's just not good for the body. What is good for the body are unprocessed, straight from the garden raw foods that can give us nutrients, vitamins, and other essentials to keep our natural fuels running.

In an effort to get back to the basics with healthy eating, Lisa and Jason Leake gave up unprocessed for an entire 100 days. The North Carolina parents of two decided it was time to give up the sugar infused packaged goods for a period of unrefined choices straight out of their backyard. After reading In Defense of Food ($9) by Michael Pollan, the couple changed their ways of eating for good. And lucky for us, Lisa isn't keeping her journey to herself. She's sharing her learnings, recipes, and little secrets with her devoted readers and challenging them along the way in her blog 100daysofrealfood. She realizes going 100 days with "real food" may be too tough for some but asks people to try it for 10 days.

Could, or would you take the pledge to go 10 days without any processed foods. Perhaps you're already doing it?

5 Yummy Snacks Under 200 Calories

Michele Bell — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:05:27 PST

While it may not be the first thing to blame when diets fail, it almost always plays a part - snacking. But, if you're smart about it and limit yourself to the correct amounts of healthy bites, snacks can actually help you keep trim, and maybe even slim down. Before you go pop a bag of buttered popcorn or make a run for a mid-day cookie, come check out these smart snack options that are all under the 200-calorie mark.

Let's Break It Down: Oatmeal vs. Granola

Michele Bell — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:00:43 PST

Some like it hot . . . some like it cold. During these brisk snow ridden months, oatmeal is almost irresistible. Unless, however, there's granola on the table. While I like both of the breakfast foods, I'm often partial to the chillier bowl topped with strawberries and bananas. Then again, a steaming porridge complete with pumpkin goodness is pretty hard to turn down. So perhaps knowing the nutritional value of each will help you and yours truly decide which one to turn to more often, especially for the duration of the seemingly long Winter season.

Ready to see the comparison?

5 Holiday Treats Under 100 Calories

Michele Bell — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:50:49 PST

Santa isn't the only one allowed to enjoy the treats of the holiday season. But, if we don't want to end up with a bowl full of jelly for a January belly, we all better watch what we eat, especially when it comes to the sugary sweets. I've gathered up a group of treats that will satiate even the strongest of sweet toothed people but won't tip you over on the scale. Come check out these five holiday bits under 100 calories!

	One cup Whole Milk	One cup Reduced Fat (2%) Milk	One cup Low-Fat (1%) Milk	One cup Nonfat (Skim) Milk
Calories	150	130	110	90
Total Fat (g)	8	5	2.5	0
Carbs (g)	12	12	12	12
Fiber (g)	0	0	0	0
Sugar (g)	11	11	12	12
Protein (g)	8	8	8	8