Core Tip: There has long been a saying in folk wisdom: "Eat until you're 70% full, and you'll live to a healthy old age." Modern science has also confirmed that eating until you're 70% full can ensure adequate nutrient intake. As long as you stick with it long-term, it not only helps with weight control but also keeps the mind clear. However, what exactly does it feel like to be 70% full? At what point should you put down your chopsticks?
“Being 70% full is a figurative expression reminding people not to overeat,” Fu Jinru, honorary director of the Tianjin Nutrition Society, told reporters. To reach the point of 70% full, she advises stopping eating once you feel satisfied, but not to the point of being hungry.
Professor Li Huiming from the Department of Nutrition at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University explained that the feeling of being 70% full varies from person to person and is difficult to measure precisely. “It should feel like you’ve eaten enough, but you don't want to leave the table yet. However, if you were to eat more, you would feel stuffed. In short, it's a feeling of being neither full nor hungry.”
Professor Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, provided a more detailed explanation: “Being 70% full should feel like this: your stomach isn't full yet, but your enthusiasm for food has diminished. Your active eating speed has also slowed down. You still habitually want to eat more, but if the food is taken away and the conversation changes, you'll quickly forget about eating.” Furthermore, Fan Zhihong also pointed out other levels of fullness for reference: “At 80% full, your stomach feels full, but eating a few more mouthfuls isn't painful. At 90% full, you can still manage a few more bites, but each one is a burden, and you feel your stomach is bloated. At 100% full, you can't eat another bite; even one more mouthful would be painful.”
All three experts agree that finding your own 70% full portion requires a continuous process of feeling and adjustment. One standard to keep in mind is that if your meal times are relatively regular, and you've eaten 70% full for one meal, you won't feel hungry before the next meal. In other words, if you feel hungry in advance, it means you didn't eat enough to reach the 70% full mark, and you can slightly increase your portion size.
Actually, just being aware of the concept of 70% full is a good start. Experts also remind us to pay attention to some details:
Eat attentively. The feeling of fullness is an innate human instinct. However, to perceive the different levels of fullness, you must eat with full concentration. If you eat while chatting or watching TV, it's hard to notice the changes in your feeling of fullness, which can lead to overeating unconsciously.
Chew slowly. Only by chewing slowly can you notice your changing enthusiasm for food, the fading of your hunger, the slowing of your eating pace, and the gradual feeling of your stomach filling up. Only in this way can you distinguish between the different levels of fullness. Then, find your 70% full point and make it your daily portion size.
Less refined, more coarse. Eating foods high in moisture can make your stomach feel full earlier, which helps control food intake. For example, eating congee or noodle soup can make the feeling of 70% full come on sooner. Also, eating foods that require more chewing, such as coarse grains, can slow down your eating pace, which helps you feel full and thus control your food intake. In contrast, refined, soft, oily, and low-fiber foods will speed up your eating, causing you to eat much more without realizing it.