Avoid Stress Eating: Satiety Tips for Busy Days
Written by Nicqui Grant, RD(SA), IFNCP
Summer holidays are over, and sadly, the grindstone needs grinding. Keeping your energy and focus getting back into routine does not have to be a drag. With a little planning you will be back in your work or school “fit” routine in no time.
Remember that we don’t generally “bump into” healthy food, and vending machines do not dispense salads. Most snack and, on the run, foods are high in sugar and highly processed which do the opposite of energizing us – in fact, they sap the energy from us, make us hungry more often and they also make it hard to focus.
This will just add frustration to the longing after, those long lazy summer holidays.Frustration and grumpiness as you head back to your desk may contribute to comfort eating especially if you have a DRD2 – dopamine receptor gene variant in your appetite pathway.
This variant is associated with comfort or reward eating and may lead to over consumption of high sugar and high fat foods.
First thing to do is get back into the routine of structured meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner provide the “file dividers” to the day – helping keep everything organized. If you are going to snack, plan them too.
Each meal and snack should have some form of protein and good fats. These both help to slow down the movement of foods in the gut and the absorption of nutrients into the blood stream, keeping you fuller for longer, reducing your hunger and keeping you satisfied.
This is particularly helpful if you have several LEPR aka Leptin receptor gene variants in your appetite pathway, as they are associated with a reduced ability to recognise fullness.
They are high in fiber to keep you full, and they provide nutrients that are messengers to your genes to function optimally, balance blood sugar and maintain cognition when it counts.
When choosing carbohydrates, try to select the least processed options like a piece of fruit, a baked potato or yam, a serving of brown rice or quinoa. I like to think of the best carbohydrates as those that just have a name not an ingredients list! This is particularly important if you have lots of gene variants in the glucose & insulin pathway.
When needing to snack, make sure to make use of natures “fast food” by prioritising fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Ensure you are well hydrated as we often mistake thirst for hunger. Dehydration really does impair clear thinking. Keeping active helps to regulate blood sugar and keep the mind engaged. Getting to bed early rounds off all these helpful habits for starting the new work/school year strong ! YOU'VE GOT THIS
Get your 3X4 Genetics Test.