Are You Actually Hungry?

Feel hungry?  Hunger is a physiological mechanism designed to tell us when we need to have sustenance. It is an important survival mechanism and is primarily governed by hormones secreted by our body.

This article was researched in response to a discussion I had at a party where a friend was snarfing down potato chips and dip while I snarfed the BBQ ribs and cole slaw.  I am leaving off the citations so as not to bore you, but I will say that much of the research reported here was done in Australia where it is funded by the desire to gain knowledge, not the desire to make money selling drugs.

Hunger Defined

Hunger can be defined as the desire to eat food. Sounds simple, but it goes deeper than that. In our Western world, food is in plentiful supply all around us and our interpretation of hunger has become confused.

Physiological hunger. This is the body knowing it needs sustenance. Also called stomach hunger or true hunger. You are genuinely hungry because you feel low in energy and haven’t eaten for a long time. In other words, your body needs the energy it can get from food.

Psychological hunger. Also called “mouth” hunger. This is when you just want something to eat. You could think of this as a craving – but then it seems like it’s all in your mind. But it is NOT all in your mind.

Craving Foods

We crave or desire a specific food, especially ‘bad’ foods (like sweets or potato chips). When we restrict ourselves from eating the foods we “crave,” it can have a negative effect on our mood. This increases temptation to relieve the “bad” mood, and then when you then eat something you crave, you enjoy it even more. It can become a “guilty pleasure.” Cravings can be incredibly hard to curb. This entire cycle is not limited to foods, and has some deep rooted psychological reasons – but today I wish to share why – when it comes to food – it is not all in your mind.

Possible Causes for Food Craving

Yes, the mind and the body are one unit. Sadly this unit is not always united. Mind and body can affect and have effect upon the other. Being aware of the causes for craving may help you identify which factors specifically trigger your cravings, and may help you resolve issues.

Hunger Hormones

Leptin and ghrelin are the hunger and fullness hormones. If there are imbalances in the cells producing these hormones you can crave more food even after a massive meal. An imbalance in these hunger and fullness hormones may cause certain people to experience more food cravings than others.

Other Body Hormones

Pregnancy. Hormonal changes in pregnancy may influence your smell and taste receptors, in turn, causing you to experience more intensified cravings.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The changes in the hormones estrogen and progesterone that occur right before your period may intensify cravings, especially for carbohydrate rich foods.

Peri- and post- menopausal conditions.  One study showed that the hormonal shifts in peri-menopausal stages of life are not just limited to reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone), but to all hormones produced by the body, including “hunger” hormones. This may be a root cause of peri-menopausal weight gain. By the way, in case you have not heard, we now know (in 2024) that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not linked to cancer in the slightest bit. Indeed HRT may help women live a longer, dementia-free life.

Sleep

Too little or poor quality sleep can disturb your levels of the hormones responsible for regulating hunger, fullness, and the sleep-wake cycles. This has been shown to intensifying food cravings, especially in the evenings. Snacking before bedtime in turn leads to poor quality sleep, reinforcing a negative cycle.

Nutrient Poor Eating

Nutrients like protein and fiber can help you feel full. A diet that’s low in these nutrients may cause you to feel hungry or experience cravings, even if you have otherwise eaten enough calories. Carbohydrate rich diets can lead you to crave more carbohydrates because they are quickly processed calories.

Highly Processed Foods

Several studies show that highly processed foods, ones with added fat and sugar, can cause addiction-like symptoms. These are triggered by the brain desiring yet more sugar, and the fats are needed to form the coverings around nerves. Yes we need some fats and sugars – just in moderation.

Poor Hydration

Ingesting too little fluids can intensify feelings of hunger or cravings in some people. And the reverse. Often we think we are hungry when in reality we are thirsty. This is because the body can process the moisture in food to rehydrate itself. This is increasingly the case as people age. Close to 40 percent of people over the age of 70 admitted to American hospitals are clinically dehydrated. More about hydration.

Your Gut Bacteria

Also called “gut flora,” the scientific community is finding more and more links between gut bacteria and human health. One study showed that the type of bacteria present in your gut influence the frequency and type of food cravings you may have. Another study demonstrated that people report their feelings of “hunger” differently depending on their gut flora.

Physical Activity

An individual’s level of physical activity is weirdly linked to food cravings. An increase the level of physical activity, is shown to help reduce food cravings. And as we all know from the Covid isolation, moving less than you usually do may cause you to experience more food cravings.

Stress

Stress can increase your levels of the hormone cortisol. High cortisol levels may be linked to hunger, cravings, and a higher likelihood of stress- or binge-eating behaviors.

Eating Context

Your brain can associate eating a specific food to a specific context — for instance, popcorn and a movie. This may cause you to crave that particular food the next time the same context comes around.

Health

Health. If tomato soup and grilled cheese are what you got to eat when you stayed home sick with the flu, then when you are bed-ridden with cold or flu you may find yourself craving those foods. Your subliminal brain associates these foods with healing, and after all, you need to be healthy so the lions don’t eat you.

This goes very deep into our psyche. When we are less than healthy, we may feel depressed. Then, whenever we feel depressed for any reason, that subliminal mind may trick us into craving “comfort foods.”

It is Not All in Your Brain

If nothing else, I hope this article shows you that your feelings of hungry and craving for certain foods is not just a mental condition. There are often true physiological reasons for what is happening to you.

If you are trying to lose weight, and having problems, I hope you will use this to help your rational mind overcome some of the effects and affects that your body is foisting on you. Yes, you may have the hungry gut bacteria. Sadly that may mean you just have to be twice as vigilant about food craving as your twin brother that doesn’t have the same gut bacteria. Life is not fair.

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