AVOID OVEREATING BY EATING RIGHT

Amber Massey a registered dietitian at a large hospital in Ft Worth, Texas says that people often see the words 'sugar-free' or 'fat-free' on processed foods that are deceptively high in calories.  To make matters worse, these foods are often maddeningly low in satisfaction.  And satisfaction can be crucial to a successful weight-loss or weight-maintaining diet.  She says, "Unfortunately, we have become a fat-sugar-phobic generation."  Often those fat-free, sugar-free foods pack as many calories as their regular counterparts.  To make those foods tasty enough for you to eat, they add something in somewhere.  Again, let me stress, read the labels!

Rachel Huber, a registered dietitian at the World-Famous Dallas-based Cooper Institute states, "Recognizing hunger and fullness can be hard for people.  Babies have that ability to stop eating when they're full.  Many overweight people have learned to override those signals."

If you don't feel satisfied after eating a meal that is not packed with nutrition, your brain will tell you to keep eating.  If you continue to eat low-nutrient food, your brain will keep nagging you.  You should eat foods that are water-rich, fiber-rich, and nutrient-rich if you don't want to feel hungry again sooner than you should.

To make it simple, let's put it this way.  Eat a banana, with a protein source such as a few nuts or some peanut butter and whole-grain crackers, instead of a banana muffin.  You will be giving yourself more nutrition and allowing yourself to feel full longer.  This will help eliminate your brain from telling you to eat again an hour or two after you had that muffin!  And don't blame overeating on your brain.  Your brain is only responding to what your body is telling it after you have eaten the wrong foods.

Which would make the better snack? The muffin or the banana and nuts?