Are You Really Hungry?

Are you really hungry?  Are you sure?  Most people (especially Americans) are totally dysfunctional when it comes to our physical hunger signals.  We eat by what time it is or because people around us are eating or by the mere sight of food…and, of course, we eat for emotional reasons. To put it simply, we don’t usually eat just because we are really hungry.

Eating Habits (good or bad) Start at a Very Young Age

Hunger is one of the strongest primal forces of life.  Babies cry when they’re hungry, and parents, grandparents, etc. respond with food.  When children get sad or bored (God forbid) or hurt in some way we give them a cookie to make the ‘feel better’, as was the case with my grandmother, bless her heart. She didn't know any better than to try and make me 'feel better'. She had no idea of the damage she was doing because that was ‘normal’ behavior for that time. There had been no studies done to prove that by her actions she was setting the stage for a lifetime of negative eating habits. In addition to these direct negative reinforcements, a parent can misread signals as well.  A baby may be fed when not hungry at all, but fussy or crying for other reasons.  These early experiences form the foundation of our personal relationship with hunger and satiety, or should I say our dysfunctional relationship with food.  Eating to satisfy hunger is a learned behavior and so is dysfunctional eating in order to satisfy some displaced psychological need.

Research shows you’re actually trained how to eat by your family. I know its true in my case. But when food is used as a distraction or reward, the child becomes confused about why we’re feeding him. The experience of learning to eat as a response to physical hunger becomes blurred and unimportant.  Food becomes a crutch, a comfort or a reward…and this practice carries over to adulthood.

Scientists have determined that while taste, smell and texture preferences are culturally learned there is a genetic component to chronic dieting and overeating and it has a smaller effect than the food environment in which you grew up.  

Types of Hunger

Eating behavior specialists divide hunger into three categories:

1. Physiological is triggered by signs, like stomach growling and headache
2. Mouth is triggered by the sight, smell, taste, and memory of food
3. Psychological is triggered by emotions, like anxiety, anger and sadness

So, How Can You Cure Your Eating Problem?

While the cure to any eating problem, as is the same with any addiction, lies within the individual with the problem, the following are suggestions as to processes that you may take to stop negative eating.

·  Keep a food and feelings log.  Keep a small notebook with you at all times. When you get an urge to eat, write down your feelings.  Whether or not you eat, note what your feelings are.  Think of  ways to deal with your feelings without turning to food as a comfort.

·  Explore the 'physicalness' of hunger.  If your ‘hunger’ pains are faint or almost nonexistent, then you’re not really hungry.  You must be brave enough to wait until you are really hungry before you eat, and then eat only healthy foods just until you feel satisfied.

·  Stop eating by a clock and only eat when physically hungry.  Don’t worry if it’s 2 times a day, or 6, let your body tell you when to eat.  After awhile, you’ll most likely settle into three meals a day.

Understanding and managing your hunger is a critical key to your weight loss and health goals.  But how much should you eat?  What kind of food should your nutrients come from?  Should you count calories? First off let's take a look at what hunger consists of.

So, what is hunger any way?

Hunger actually has four essential dimensions.  Most diets are worthless because they only focus on one of these components. Here at the Heart Smart Gourmet, we take into account all four. If you want to resolve your drive to overeat, you must understand and satisfy these dimensions. 

VOLUME – Your stomach wants to feel satisfied physically, which is achieved through the volume of food you eat.  Vegetables, fruits and hearty grains fit the bill for providing ample volume to your stomach.  Luckily, these foods, which have a lot of nutrients in relation to calories, also tend to be rich in fiber. When you eat these foods, they physically fill up your stomach, leaving you less room for foods that don‘t nourish you. They also give your stomach and body the signal that you are physically nourished.

NUTRIENTS – You must consume enough nutrients in your food for your body to meet its biological need to thrive. If you eat an adequate volume, but eat low-nutrient foods, like say donuts or French fries and hamburgers, your body will be malnourished and will force you to eat more food to properly nourish your body. Try nuts or a big leafy green salad.

CALORIES – You will be driven to overeat on calories unless the other dimensions of hunger are addressed. The only way to not over-eat calories is to ensure you have enough volume and nutrients so your body will feel satisfied.  When your body feels satisfied through volume and nutrients, you will be amazed how your cravings and need to overeat diminish and disappear.

And finally…toxic hunger 

ADDICTIONS – You must break yourself of your addictions to foods that don‘t serve your body.  This is where toxic hunger comes to play.  If you are constantly struggling with the physical and emotional addiction to foods, you will become locked into a cycle of overeating and undernourishment. Addictions can be broken once you start to properly feed your body with high nutrient foods. Stop eating foods with high amounts of sugar and salt

So, if you are having a problem with food, weight or just want to get a hold of your eating habits, I think you’ll notice big changes in your appetite and your cravings simply by incorporating each of the components above into your day…so start tomorrow!