Food Addiction-Satiety Index

Have you ever wondered why some foods leave you craving more while others satisfy you for hours?

The answer lies in the complex relationship between the nutrients in our food and our body’s response to them.

In this article, we unveil the latest advancements in our data-driven satiety algorithm, designed to empower you to take control of your food choices and break free from addictive eating patterns.

Updated Regression Equation

It’s easy for us to think and see the world through a good vs. bad linear dichotomy.  However, as we dig into the data, we find more of a Goldilocks zone response to the nutrients in our food.

We crave certain nutrients when we’re not getting enough.   But when we get more than the minimum, we experience sensory-specific satiety.  Our appetite puts the brakes on to avoid energy toxicity and excessive intake of any single nutrient.   

To model our cravings and satiety, in previous iterations of our satiety score, I’ve used:

1. linear regression,
2. multivariate linear regression,
3. GAMFit in RStudio, and
4. two-way piecewise linear regression. 

We’ve refined our model to better predict how different nutrients affect your cravings and satisfaction. We use advanced techniques to pinpoint the exact balance for optimal health, providing you with a sense of relief and contentment. 

In this latest refinement, we’ve used a Gaussian function (i.e. a normal distribution) combined with an exponential decay function to model both the craving and sensory-specific satiety response to nutrients in our food. 

As you’ll see, it does an excellent job of modelling:

• the bliss point for each nutrient that we crave and
• the diminishing returns that occur as we consume more than the minimum.

Protein (%)

Protein is primary, so it’s the best place to showcase how the updated new model works. 

The chart below shows the relationship between protein percentage and daily energy intake, calibrated using 654,813 days of data, highlighting:

• we eat the most when our food contains around 15% protein (i.e., the protein bliss point).
• If we get less than 15% protein, we eat less but still crave high-protein foods when they are available.

But to escape addiction and be more satisfied with our food, we can increase our protein intake to 40% (the optimal nutrient intake), which aligns with a 30% reduction in energy intake.

Nutrient Leverage

Protein leverage is the most well-known satiety factor, but it’s not the only lever we can pull. 

Many people come to us already tapped out on protein but still haven’t achieved the results they want.  Additionally, many people enjoy low-fat, vegetarian, or plant-based diets, which can make it harder to achieve an extremely high protein percentage. 

We aim to create a versatile approach to satiety that leverages ALL the statistically significant satiety levers.  This flexible satiety algorithm ensures that it can work for anyone, regardless of their dietary preferences or beliefs.  

Sugar

Many people feel addicted to sugar.  Food manufacturers know we have a strong bliss point for sugar at around 19%, maximising consumption and profit. 

But ultra-processed food creators also understand that if you exceed this Goldilocks zone, the food will taste ‘sickly sweet,’ and we’ll eat less of their engineered products.  

You may not want to be a fruitarian, living on a very high sugar diet, but if you did, you’d likely eat less than most of us who consume the bliss point sugar intake. 

Escape the Bliss Point

The ‘bliss point‘ is the concentration of any nutrient intake that maximises growth and fat accumulation.  In the past, our attraction to seasonal foods that hit multiple nutrient bliss points was a survival advantage.  

However, today’s environment of processed foods designed to hit our bliss points year-round can lead to overeating and food addiction. If your only goal is to eat less, moving away from the bliss point in any direction will work (e.g., low sugar or high sugar, low carb or low fat, low fat or higher fat, etc.). 

However, we strongly recommend opting for a more nutritious diet to avoid cravings and malnutrition.  Achieving a higher nutrient density by getting more than the bliss point minimum makes us immune to the seduction of foods engineered for maximum profit and addiction. 

Sodium

Sodium gets a lot of attention because we have a robust conscious craving for it. 

The data indicates that we’ll eat less but crave salty foods if we get less than 3 g/2000 calories of sodium.  But too much sodium makes our food quickly taste ‘too salty,’ and we eat less.

If you’re trying to lose weight, a higher sodium concentration can help crush your cravings and ensure you get enough of this critical mineral while eating less. 

Potassium

We don’t crave potassium the way we do sodium.  However, pure potassium (e.g. potassium citrate powder) has a bitter taste that triggers a phenomenon called sensory-specific satiety, which stops us from overeating foods that contain it.   

Consuming potassium-rich foods to reach the optimal nutrient intake for potassium of 4200 mg/2000 calories aligns with eating 36% less energy (i.e. more than protein). 

Calcium

Like potassium, calcium is a nutrient that most people struggle to get enough of and, hence, is a nutrient of public health concern due to our low intake.  So, it makes sense that many people might crave high-calcium foods.

Our updated satiety analysis reveals that we crave 700 mg/2000 calories of calcium, but we consume 19% fewer calories if we achieve the optimal nutrient intake of 1650 mg/2000 calories.  

Vitamin C

Before the discovery of vitamin C, you may have heard the stories of sailors eating just about anything plant-based food once they got ashore.  Although scurvy is usually pretty rare, the regression analysis shows that the DRI aligns perfectly with the bliss point and maximum calorie intake. 

To crush your cravings more efficiently, add some fresh foods to boost your vitamin C.  Moving from the bliss point to the 220 mg/2000 calorie optimal nutrient intake aligns with consuming 6% fewer calories.  

Iron

Iron deficiency anaemia is a significant issue in developing countries, where people have less access to animal food products containing bioavailable heme iron.   Iron has a metallic taste, which triggers sensory-specific satiety once we get over the bliss point.

Iron-rich foods will help you satisfy your iron requirements more efficiently.  Moving from the bliss point (12.2 mg/2000 cal) to the optimal nutrient intake (25 mg/2000 cal) aligns with a 6% reduction in calories. 

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

I’ve been surprised to see vitamin B2 as a statistically significant satiety factor, with the bliss point above the DRI.

But it makes sense when you see the foods packed with riboflavin. 

The data suggest that even if you meet the official recommended intake of B2, you may still crave more.  However, increasing the riboflavin concentration in your diet from the bliss point (1.6 mg/2000 cal) to the optimal nutrient intake (3.0 mg/2000 cal) aligns with consuming 23% fewer calories.  

Net Carbs

The analysis highlights a bliss point at 46% non-fibre carbs.  Moving away from the bliss point, in either direction, aligns with eating 27% less.  But pushing net carbs below 12% doesn’t give you any extra satiety benefit.

Fat

We also see a bliss point for fat at 34%. Moving away from this point in either direction leads to a 9% reduction in energy intake, which is negligible compared to some of the other nutrients mentioned above. 

Monounsaturated Fat

Interestingly, monounsaturated fat, the dominant fat in vegetable oils and a primary ingredient in ultra-processed foods, significantly impacts satiety. 

The analysis shows a bliss point for monounsaturated fat at 15% of calories. Reducing your MUFA from 15% to 6% aligns with a 20% reduction in calories. Meanwhile, SFA has a more negligible 18% impact on energy intake, and PUFA has a 17% impact. 

Our analysis suggests that one fat is not necessarily better than another.  The problem comes when we combine all three fats in ways that don’t occur in nature.  We get a cumulative impact that doesn’t happen with seasonal whole foods.

The first step to lowering your monounsaturated fat is to avoid engineered processed foods that list vegetable oil as an ingredient, especially if they are combined with sugar, refined starch, flavours, colourings, and vitamin fortification to hit the other bliss points. 

Fibre

Fibre is not technically an essential nutrient but plays a role in the satiety equation. People who consume a nutrient-dense diet typically get plenty of fibre from their food from the vegetables and fruit it contains. 

Towards the left of the chart below, we see that a low-fibre diet with plenty of protein is moderately satiating, and we eat the most when our diet contains around 17 g/2000 of fibre.  But beyond that, the data shows that people who get a lot of fibre consume 30% less energy.

Energy Density

Finally, we come to energy density, a beneficial satiety factor for people on a lower-fat diet where protein tends to be lower.  People with a low-energy-density diet tend to consume 30% fewer calories. 

However, we also see a bliss point at 1600 g/2000 calories, where we eat the most. This also happens to align with processed foods that are optimised for texture and mouthfeel. 

To the right, a diet filled with fruit, vegetables, and watery soups aligns with eating less, but so does a higher-protein, lower-carb diet that gets more energy from fat.   

Satiety Response to Individual Nutrients

As you can see, multiple nutrients in our food align with eating more vs less. However, prioritising only one nutrient will only get you so far and can drive you to unsustainable extremes.

The table below summarises the satiety benefit we can achieve by moving from the bliss point to the optimal nutrient intake for the nutrients included in our Food Addiction-Satiety Index.  

nutrient	satiety response
potassium	36%
protein	30%
vitamin B2	23%
calcium	19%
vitamin C	6%
iron	6%
sodium	0.4%

Correlation of Each Model with Energy Intake

The table below shows the correlation between the satiety curves and measured energy intake from the 654,813 days of data, showing that potassium, MUFA, protein (%), energy density and vitamin B2 all have a similarly strong relationship with daily energy intake. 

nutrient	correlation
potassium	26%
MUFA	26%
protein	25%
energy density	24%
riboflavin (B2)	23%
net carbs	22%
sugar	22%
calcium	20%
vitamin C	18%
iron	17%
fibre	16%
sodium	14%
fat	7%
combined	38%

The Food Addiction-Satiety Index

To overcome the limitations of using only one parameter, we’ve combined all the statistically significant satiety factors and weighted them to maximise correlation with actual energy intake.

But when we combine all these factors, optimising the weightings to maximise the correlation, we level up our ability to predict how much you’ll eat based on what you eat. 

We can use these data-driven insights to make better food choices that align with eating less without exerting as much unsustainable conscious willpower.  This empowers us to move away from hyperpalatable, addictive foods towards foods that provide greater satiety because they contain the nutrients we need to thrive.

Putting Theory Into Practice

This more profound understanding of our satiety response to food allows us to fine-tune our:

• high-satiety food lists and infographics,
• interactive food search tool,
• NutriBooster recipes, and
• Macros Masterclass Perfect Day report. 

We find Optimisers get the best results when they use these data-driven insights to incrementally optimise their diet to move away from addiction towards satiety.

To escape the clutches of food addiction and experience the power of data-driven satiety, we’d love you to join our next Macros Masterclass, where we’ll guide you through this powerful process. 

Summary

Understanding the relationship between food, nutrients, and satiety can significantly impact your eating habits and overall health.

By leveraging the data-driven insights from our updated satiety algorithm, you can identify foods that align with your nutritional needs and reduce cravings for addictive, hyperpalatable options.

Whether optimising your protein intake or balancing other key nutrients, these findings empower you to make informed dietary choices that promote long-term satiety and well-being.

To dive deeper into these concepts and apply them to your diet, consider joining our next Macros Masterclass, where we guide you step-by-step through this transformative journey toward better nutrition and health.

More

• The Science of Bliss Points in Food: Unlocking the Secret to Addiction
• The Role of Minerals in Cravings, Hunger, Satiety and Health
• Diet Quality and Weight Loss: A Deep Dive
• Food Search: Satiety vs Nutrient Density vs Protein
• Macros Masterclass: Escape Food Addiction