Hari Hachi Bu

Our stomachs have stretch receptors which signal information to our brains. It takes these little guys twenty minutes to tell our brains how full we really are. Most of us know this already.

In addition, if we regularly eat until we feel 100 percent full we will actually be about 20% overcapacity with every meal. The stomach will stretch a little bit more each time we eat to accommodate the extra food. Then, we'll have to consume more the next time we eat to get that same feeling of fullness. Vicious cycle.

While this signaling and stretching of the stomach was beneficial during the days when foraging and hunting for food were the norm it can be a detrimental mechanism with food readily available on every corner and in our own homes.

What to do?

Hari Hachi Bu.

Loosely translated, hari hachi bu means, 'eat until you are eight parts full (out of ten)'. The Okinawans - a population known for their very long, high-quality life spans - practice this habit. They do not go hungry, no, not at all, but they do stop eating before they burst at the seams. They simply leave a little room at the end of each meal.

Sensitivity to signals requires merely listening to your body, its sensations, learning from your eating experiences, and then practicing what is learned.

For example, last night I made a delicious roast beef dinner especially for Tom as his job is taking him away from home for twelve and thirteen hours a day this week. Grass-fed beef slowly roasting amidst fresh picked rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and wedged onion. Red potatoes mashed to perfection. Perfectly steamed broccoli. And Cassie made homemade vanilla ice cream with the freshest ingredients including fair-trade, organic, no-soy, no-milk-powder dark chocolate whacked into chips. Some of Tom's favorite foods. Mine, too.

While I was careful to serve myself conservative amounts of food, it was so tasty. Moist meat, creamy potatoes, the broccoli with the just the right amount of bite. I ate slowly. I savored. I found myself near hari hachi bu with a little space saved for Cassie's ice cream.

But the potatoes. Just a few more. I still have room.

Stupid.

I ate a few more. Then, I ate some ice cream. I knew full well what I was doing but I did it anyway.

It wasn't that much food, but it was past 100%. Just a little. Just enough to make me feel over full. Not a good feeling. My few moments of pleasure eating that one scoop too many potatoes stayed with me for hours. I made myself move for the next couple of hours rather than sit and that helped. But I know my sleep was impaired for at least the first half of the night. I could feel my body still hard at work digesting when it should have been free to rest and restore.

The good in last night's experience is that I paid attention. I scolded myself for my stupidity, then forgave. Lesson learned. Lesson remembered - for now. Eat until you are 80% full. Why? For one, it feels bad not to.

Hari Hachi Bu. A wonderful aid when obeyed.