What is hunger? According to dictionary, hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. It's a natural thing to be hungry because it is in man to eat food. There are hunger disorders which is the compulsive desire but that is not the focus in this article.
In this article, we will be talking about things that can make you very hungry. There is hunger that is long throat, there is hunger that is caused by other factors, there is hunger that is ideal.
Things that makes us hungry
1) Being Overly Stressed
Stress is a major cause of hunger because it stimulates the ghrelin hormone which is responsible for hunger. And many people use food as a coping mechanism for hunger. And in that overeating, people become overweight and obessed and also develop other health issues. First thing first, food is not a cure for stress and the food most people eat when stressed are junks because that is the quick fix especially when one is tired and that should not be.
Stress can trigger hunger and knowing how to manage stress and food is a skill everyone must learn.
Imagine you just got home after a long and tiring day, sometimes what is on your mind is ' let me just grab a bottle of coke or a plate of food or a quick fix'. But ideally what you need is a bath either warm or cold depending on the weather. You need a glass of water, you can grab a bite of fruit like apple. You need a quick nap for some minutes or a full blown sleep.
Why?
Because if you dive immediately on food you will overeat and if a tiring day is an everyday reality, that means you will over eat a lot and get your body in trouble. Food is the last cure for stress. Junks won't help either.
If you don't know how to handle stress, you are in trouble of obesity because your hunger pangs are intensified. There are people who lose appetite under stress, that too is another thing. In whatever way, don't starve yourself and don't overeat. Rest more than you eat under stress it help a lot.
2) Poor Sleep
This is pure chemistry. The hormone responsible for hunger is called 'ghrelin' and the hormone responsible for satiety is called 'leptin'. Knowing how to regulate both is what keeps people healthy and promote weight loss. When sleep is deprived, the hunger hormone is triggered and hunger spikes increases.
Have you noticed when you don't sleep properly, like you slept just for 3hours in a full day, you know how much your desire to eat increases. Poor sleepers are more likely to over eat and get obessed than people who sleep well. If you want to control your hunger pangs, sleep well and your hormones will work properly.
3) Eating refined Carbohydrates.
Eating refined Carbohydrates like junks. When you eat sugar, especially refined carbs your hormone for regulating blood sugar is awakened. Awakened to clear out the sugar in your blood stream. Insulin triggers hunger and increases craving too. That is why there is a level of 'insatiety' when you eat refined sugar. There is that call for more, that is why you can finish one pack of sweets and not even know, that is why you can finish one big bottle of soda and your brain is asking you to take some more. Even to sugars from food, you eat rice and eat and eat,your stomach is telling you "you are full" but you just will keep eating.
Your hunger hormones are over active when you eat sugar especially refined sugar. What makes people fat is not fat, what makes people fat is "SUGAR". If you can control and regulate your excessive carbohydrates consumption, you are in for a good life.
4) Dehydration
Different studies have down the brain sometimes confuses thirst for hunger. Sometimes what you need is not food, you need water.
Dehydration is a situation where by your body Doesn't have enough water that it needs. So there is very high tendency to be hungry when you are dehydrated. That tiredness, that headache, that dizziness, that dry mouth is not hunger slot of times. Sometimes tiredness is not food problem, sometimes tiredness is water loss. Make it a habit to drink water first when you are hungry than eat food.
If you keep eating food at the slightest tiredness and stress, you are likely to overeat. So dehydration can trigger hunger but what your brain is actually saying is ' Go and drink water". If all you do daily is sip water, you will be overweight if not now but in the nearest future and you will endanger your kidneys because they will overwork themselves to keep your body running and I know you don't want to do that.
Handling and managing hunger is a key to health. You don't have to eat 5 times a day to stay healthy, you just need all your food within the 2000 calorie bench mark daily..
Curb your appetite, if you are unnecessarily hungry, go for a walk, call a friend and gist, read books watch a movie, do some exercises. Don't always jump at food...
Dealing with long throat is something we have to intentionally learn. There is difference between starvation and being disciplined with diet. Starvation is dangerous to the body but being disciplined with diet is wisdom.
Don't be quick to say "I cannot get fat in this life no matter what I eat". You are less than 40, trust me you can't say that until you are 60. And if you eat anyhow, you won't even reach 60years to make that confession. That you got to 60years very strong and healthy already shows you weren't eating and handling your body anyhow.
Don't die before you die. I have worked in the hospital for many years and I can te you your diet can kill you, I have been obessed before and I can tell you as an health expert that if you consistently eat poorly, beyond becoming obessed, your internal organs will shut down.
So help yourself, help others and take care of what you eat,how you eat, where you eat, when you eat. Everything is important, every detail is vital. This is for you, your good, your benefit, your health, your body and your life.
Thanks for reading..
