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Is your stomach or head hungry?

Is your stomach or head hungry?

Do you find it difficult to feel when you are full? You're not the only one. Because do you want to eat now because you are really hungry, or do you eat because you like it and don't even realize that you've actually had enough?

Many people were told as a child:plate not empty? Then no dessert.

Research by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that it is actually not good to teach children this, because they 'forget' their feeling of satiety.

Read also: 'Intuitive eating in 6 steps'

Holistic psychologist Henrike Weerstand, who co-wrote Intuitive Eating with Sharon Numan, learned another trick from her parents. “Before we were allowed to scoop a second time at home or receive another sandwich, my parents asked the following question:'Close your eyes for a moment:does your mouth want more or your belly? Depending on the answer, we got a bite for the taste or another scoop to feel full. When you focus on it, you feel really good when you've eaten enough."

Growling stomach

A real feeling of hunger is more clearly recognizable:a growling stomach, light-headedness and dizziness. “But if you only suffer from reduced concentration or if you feel restless, ask yourself what you actually want, because that is not real hunger”, says Sharon. “Perhaps a walk or a short break will do more for you than a snack.”

Text:Priscilla Borgers