According to Eric Edmeades, founder of Wildfit, there are 6 forms of human hunger which we experience, but they are not all created equal. Once you learn these, you’ll be able to tell the difference between being actually hungry or your body just playing tricks on you.
Nutritional Hunger
This is the only genuine form of hunger. As the name suggests, this hunger occurs when the body is asking for specific nutrients. However, our bodies have been taught to eat anything in sight so be careful. Nutritional hunger is not always communicated in an honest way.
Thirst
We didn’t used to be able to fill up bottles of water so, our water came from the food we ate. Now when your body is thirsty, it instead often communicates hunger.
Remember: When you feel hungry, you might actually be thirsty. Drink some water, and your hunger may just disappear.
Variety
Cravings for variety are an evolutionary protective mechanism against relying on one single food source. Cravings are a natural way of ensuring we get a range of nutrients in our diet. So, when we think we are hungry, we may just be craving something a little different.
Low Blood Sugar
Low blood sugar is a common issue in this day and age and is often mistaken for hunger. This is dealt with best by avoiding low quality sugars in your diet. Your overall sugar intake, even from fruit, should be seasonal and limited.
Emotional Hunger
This is one of the most common and dangerous forms of dysfunctional eating. People eat memories, so food is often used to satisfy an emotion. The way we live today leads to a lot of emotional emptiness, which we often fill with food. The food industry knows how to market to our emotions, so we need to learn to fill our emotions up with other activities.
Empty Stomach Hunger
Empty stomach hunger is a survival strategy and it’s designed so that when it’s empty, your behavioural response is to look around – “If I see food, I should eat it.” But this is not hunger, it’s just a feeling. Our stomachs are designed to stretch, because we used to live in feast and famine conditions, but in the 21st century, this is no longer the case. Your stomach may feel empty, but it’s simply a feeling, and not one you need to heed.
“When you really begin to understand what motivates you to eat, you get control over it.”
Courtesy Eric Edmeades, Wildfit, https://www.getwildfit.com
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