Energy balance (food related)

As i was talking quite a lot about proteins, i will stop here. I will start a new series of articles, related to energy homeostasis and balance.

First i need to underline some definitions.

Energy balance is defined as the balance between energy intake (in) and energy expediture (out).

We have three situations:

Energy intake is bigger than the energy expediture, you are gaining weight (energy is stored as fat).
Energy intake is lower than the energy expediture, you are losing weight (fat used as energy).
Energy intake is equal to the energy expediture, you keep the same weight.

Energy intake - via macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) - they contain energy, used as fuel or stored as body fat.

Now i will speak about the food intake and some specific qualities.

Satiety - is the feeling of satisfaction that occurs after a meal. This will prevent you from eating until next meal.
Satiation - feeling of satisfaction and fullness that occurs during a meal. This will make you to stop eating.
Hunger - uncomfortable sensation caused by lack of food.
Appetite - integrated response to the sight, smell, thought or taste that triggers eating.

Now, understanding these four notions is the key to any successful diet. 

While the satiety determines how much time passes between meals, the satiation determines how much food is consumed during a meal. Foods promoting satiation are very bulky, high water content and fiber, and they got strong sensory attributes. Veggies for example, eating them causes satiation. Thinking about texture, a watermelon is more satiating than watermelon juice. Calories ingested quickly are not properly sensed (think about fizzy drinks). Prolonged exposure time to the food (chewing) causes people to quit sooner and consume less energy overall.

Energy from fluids is less satiating than the energy from solids. That's why the consumption of sugary beverages may lead to over-eating, increasing the occurrence of obesity in many occasions. This is not accepted by the beverage industry and there is misleading advertising and powerful lobby against it. But, if we use our common sense, we can realize that it is true.

Enough for today, I will post soon about the factors determining the food intake (physiological, sensory, psychological and social, to name a few).

See you!
G.