Training Your Appetite Triggers

For many people, eating behavior is motivated by more than just hunger: smell, sight, emotions. Any one of these can cause you to go to the refrigerator in search of a craving.

Your physical body, brain, eyes, nose, taste buds, intestines, nerves, internal chemicals and hormones also decide what and how much you eat. But it's when you let your brain dictate your choices that you get into trouble!

You can train your brain and stomach to make better choices. Here's how.

• Keep a food diary. Write down any unplanned eating and what your emotions were when you ate it. Go back after a week and see if you can find the triggers that caused you to overeat.
• Use spices. Food will satisfy you more quickly if it tastes good. Use seasonings that tend to be hot or sour, such as lemon juice, peppers and chili powder.
• Smell your food. Yes, you read that right! Studies have shown that once you start eating, the scent of food can make you stop eating sooner by satisfying you faster.
• Eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast are less likely to snack on high-calorie foods later in the day.
• Eat less fat. High-fat meals seem to encourage cravings for even more fat.
• Paint your dining room. Rooms that are in the color families of orange, red or yellow stimulate the appetite!
• Play soft (not rock) music at meal time. People chew faster and eat more to quick-paced songs that slow and restful ones.
• Get more exercise. Believe it or not, exercise does decrease your appetite!

Try implementing one of these ideas at a time and see if it doesn't make a difference for you. You might just find the solution that trains YOUR brain to make better food choices.