When I talk about “hanger management,” I am not talking organizing the clothes in your closet. Instead, it’s about preventing the combination of hunger and angry, which is sometimes referred to as hangry. I am sure all of us have friends who can swing from sweet to evil in the blink of an eye when they go too long without eating.
So why does this happen? Hunger is a sensation that signals the body’s physiological need to eat food. When we are hungry we may complain of headaches, lightheadedness, nausea and a growling stomach. Nerve signals from the gut, blood sugar levels and hormones all play a role in determining hunger.
When some people get hungry, they also get irritable, anxious and mean. And hormones such as glucagon, epinephrine, adrenaline, cortisol and Neuropeptide Y are also released when the body senses it’s stressed, as it does when hungry. These hormones regulate anger and aggression. You may not know that you are hangry, but others around you may be acutely aware of the change in your mood.
So what’s the problem with being hangry, aside from the fact that other people may not want to be around you? This may lead you to overeat when you do have your next snack or meal.
To keep hanger in control and your consumption at an appropriate level, consider the following tips:
Train your brain. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not hungry at all and 5 is ready to eat the legs off your chair, aim to eat when you are about a 3 — or at the point where it feels like you could wait a little longer, but you could certainly eat, too. If you miss meals, you may find yourself overeating later in the day.
Create a plate that satiates. Consider the composition of your meals. Ensuring protein-containing foods, such as lean meat, eggs, dairy, soy foods and beans, comprise 30 to 40 percent of the plate at every meal may make you feel fuller for longer.
Add fiber to control the hunger within. Include fiber as part of every meal and snack by eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Fiber draws water into the gut to make you feel fuller after you eat.
Fill up, rather than out. This is the benefit of adding more fluid to meals, not necessarily in a glass, but in the foods you choose, such as stews, soups and chili. Fluid in food may do better job of abating your hunger.
Food form can affect your hunger norm. Choose solids over liquids. Solids take longer to leave the stomach than liquids, so while that smoothie may make you feel temporarily full, a salad with fruits, vegetables and protein will keep your hunger in check for longer.
Divide and conquer. Try the restaurant approach to eating meals at home. When you eat out, the server doesn’t put the soup, salad, entree and dessert in front of you at the same time, but rather spaces the courses out. The result? You take longer to eat and may get fuller sooner. So why not try this at home? Have your salad first, then go back into the kitchen and prepare your plate. Or, better yet, make a half portion, then go back for the rest if you’re still hungry. Slowing down when you eat may actually cut down on the amount you consume.
So, to conclude, for proper hanger management: Be consistent with meals, be insistent with portions and be persistent with fluids, fiber and food choices to keep the hanger at bay and have a happier day!
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‘Hanger’ Management: What to Do When Hunger Makes You Mad originally appeared on usnews.com
