Stomach vs. Bloodstream
April 19, 2006 | Life
Now that I'm exercising more I've started to notice a difference in how I think about hunger, and this could be a helpful distinction for children learning about eating, or adults trying to change their habits.
In the past, when I was hungry, it was mostly about satisfying my stomach with something tasty. It was about filling up, not being empty, and doing so in a pleasurable manner.
Now when I'm hungry I'm thinking about my bloodstream – what nutrients do I want to add to my blood? It's about providing energy, nutrition, and balance with what I've eaten (or not eaten) in recent hours.
This sounds simple, but it's been a game-changer for me. For instance, let's say it's 4 PM, and I'm hungry. Not an unusual case if you have a salad for lunch. I am planning to exercise, but I don't like going between 5 and 6 because it's so busy then. So I'm going to work until 6. That means I'll need to eat before I exercise. It's a little early for dinner, so I want a snack. In the past this would have been any number of empty-calorie foods, like ice creme, chips, etc. Let's own up to it: Even Oreos were on the list, conveniently sold in six-packs these days. Or, even, a two-pack of Pop Tarts, though that pushed the limits of my upper-middle-class self-identity and didn't happen too often (thank goodness).
Now, I think, "What nutrients haven't I had recently? What does my blood want?" The answer tends to be more along the lines of carrots! an orange! a banana! some grapes! turkey rollups! I have to think a little bit more, and it's more like a discovery game to figure out the right answer, but it's much more satisfying mentally because I know I'm being good to myself, and physically because I don't feel like crap after I have a snack.
By changing my mental model of hunger from "stomach" to "bloodstream" I have completely changed how I think about food, snacks, and eating. This feels like a long-term change.
Comments
Just read your latest post and was surprised to hear that stone wheat crackers are so high in calories...argh.(That's my mainstay snack!)
I've always wondered why fast food drive-throughs don't offer snack packs of raw veggies such carrots, cucumber and broccoli? Surely there's a market for this out there...
Posted by: Katrina at April 19, 2006 01:13 PM
ps( what are turkey rollups?)
Posted by: Katrina at April 19, 2006 01:16 PM
Turkey rollups: Take a slice of deli turkey (all-natural, low-salt, minimal-preservatives, if you can find it) and roll it into a tube, and munch from one end to the other. You can also put a slice of cheese in there too. One or two of those, especially with cheese, is a pretty filling snack.
Posted by: Michael J. at April 19, 2006 02:12 PM
Turkey roll ups are also yummy with roasted red peppers inside!
FYI - those two poptarts that come packaged together that you're talking about are around 600 calories the last time I looked...
Posted by: Lynne Walker at April 19, 2006 07:31 PM
yum....I'm going to have to try that! (I wonder if you could use sun-dried tomatoes too...)
Posted by: Katrina at April 20, 2006 08:24 PM
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