WHO’S HUNGRY IN THERE?

WHO IS HUNGRY IN THERE?

 

How many times have you reached for the snacks at a party and munched through them without thinking, or ordered dessert even though you were already full, just because it looked so good?

Did You Know There Are Several Different Types Of Hunger

We eat for many reasons – Something catches or eye or ear & suddenly we feel like we want that food, or because we’re stressed or feeling sad, because we feel like we deserve a treat or simply because it’s our scheduled mealtime.  Are you REALLY hungry?  Checking in with yourself BEFORE grabbing a quite snack can make a big difference in your success at losing weight AND keeping it off.

Eating mindfully is about expanding our awareness around food habits, so that we can make more conscious decisions about what we eat and when.  After doing some quick research I found there are as many as NINE different types of hunger relating to different parts of our anatomy – the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, stomach, cells, mind and heart! Surprised!  I was too!

Once we are more aware of these different types of hunger and their reasons, we can respond consciously and more appropriately to satisfy them.

NINE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HUNGER RELATING TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR BODY

1. Eye Hunger

We are highly stimulated by sight, so a beautifully presented meal or treat such as a plate of cookies or a big juicy burger will be a lot more appealing to us than a bucket of slop – even if the ingredients are the same.

TIP: To satisfy eye hunger, we can really feast our eyes on the food before we put it in our mouths. If we mindlessly throw our dinner in our mouths while watching TV, we’re wasting an opportunity to fully appreciate it.

 

2. Nose Hunger

Most of what we think of as taste is actually smell. Our sense of smell is much more subtle than that of taste, as anyone who’s had a head cold and a stuffed-up nose will tell!

TIP: To satisfy your nose hunger, practice sensitizing the smell of your food, isolated from taste, by taking a pause before eating to really take in the aromas.

3. Ear Hunger

The sound of packets opening can trigger ear hunger. Or you are at the movies and you hear the sound of people eating popcorn. The sound of a can / bottle opening and listening to people discuss food and restaurants…

 

4. Mouth Hunger

What we think of as tasty, appealing food is often socially conditioned or influenced by our upbringing. This includes how sweet or salty we want our food, and the kinds of seasoning and spices we enjoy. What is considered a delicacy in one country can repel those of another culture. Anyone for deep-fried cockroaches?! Many people’s aversion to raw food is a prime example of this social conditioning of the mouth hunger.

TIP: Generating greater awareness and a sense of open curiosity around the flavors and textures in our mouths as we eat can help satisfy our mouth hunger.

 

5. Teeth Hunger

Many times, our clients will say they just need something to gnaw or chew on.  Dr. Sandra always has chewing gum available.  She knows that many times just having this handy helps her avoid grabbing foods when she really isn’t stomach hungry.

TIP:  stick with candies or gums with xylitol a plan approved sweetener.  But beware of chewy too much it can actually affect your teeth

 

6. Stomach Hunger   

This is natural, physical biological hunger. A rumbling tummy is one of the main ways we recognize hunger. And yet, it doesn’t necessarily mean our body needs food. The hunger cues from the stomach are self-taught and linked to the schedule we have give our imposed upon it. It takes practice to sense when a grumbling stomach means actual hunger.

Often, we can confuse the sensation with other feelings that affect our stomach such as anxiety or nervousness. If we feed anxiety with junk food, then get more anxious about our diet, we can spark off a negative spiral of emotional eating.

TIP: What to do? This takes practice. Listen to the stomach’s cues and start to familiarize yourself with them. Try briefly delaying eating when you feel hungry and become aware of the sensations. Assess your hunger on a scale from 1-10 before a meal, then halfway through check-in again.

 

7. Cellular Hunger

Cellular hunger is what the body needs and not what the mind needs. When our cells need nutrients, we might feel irritable, tired or we may get a headache. Cellular hunger is one of the hardest types of hunger to sense, even though it is the original reason for eating. When we were children, we intuitively knew when we needed to eat, and what our body was craving. But over time, we lose this ability.

TIP: Through mindfulness, it’s possible to become more aware of our body’s cravings for specific nutrients and to develop some of the inner wisdom we had when we were children. Learning to listen to cellular hunger is the primary skill of mindful eating.

 

8. Mind Hunger

Modern society has made us very anxious eaters. We’re constantly influenced by the current fad diet, the latest nutritional guidelines or research paper. We are deafened by our inner voice telling us that one type of food is good and one type bad. This can make it very difficult to pick up on our body’s natural cues. The mind is very difficult to satisfy, as it is fickle and will find something new to focus on if one craving is satisfied.

TIP: Mindfulness can help calm the mind and allow for a more sensitive awareness of the other cues our body is sending us.

 

9. Heart Hunger

Also known as emotional hunger. So much of the time, what and when we eat is linked into our emotions. We might crave certain comfort food because we were given it as a child, or because we’ve associated it in our mind as a treat for when we’re feeling down.  No food can truly satisfy heart hunger. Heart hunger is satisfied by connection with ourselves firstly and then with others.

Often emotional eating boils down to a desire to be loved or looked after. We eat to fill a hole, but that hole often can’t be satisfied through eating. To satisfy our heart hunger, we need to find the intimacy or comfort our heart is craving.

TIP: Try noticing the emotions that you’ve been feeling just before you have an urge to snack and you might be able to find other ways to satisfy them, such as calling a friend or having a cup of tea or a hot bath.

 

So, next time you feel hungry, check-in with yourself and work out what kind of hunger you’re sensing. Try asking yourself, “Who Is Hungry In There?”  If eating is appropriate – go ahead and eat! Try to be mindful of what and how you eat, take in the aroma, feast with your eyes and savor every flavor. Only then will you be truly satisfied.