The six types of hunger.

Most people just think hunger is just hunger but this a gross oversimplification. There are in fact six types of hunger. It is vital you understand what these all are otherwise you will find yourself addressing the wrong causes of your eating and be left wondering why you cannot control your food.

In my experience non emotional reasons account for way over 50% of most peoples’ cravings and in some case 100%. This means that you may be blaming yourself for being weak willed and a bad person when the truth is you are simply miscalculating what you should eat.

The six types of hunger do not need to happen independently of each other. They can combine. When this happens you will find it very difficult to resist any temptations that come your way.

Normal hunger –

Natural hunger is a calm desire for food. It builds gradually and evenly. It can usually be battled against fairly easily until it rises to a high level. This is a natural feeling which should be listened to, this hunger will always be present throughout your life.  This hunger is countered by eating an ideal meal for your body and ensuring you eat regularly.

The goal of any programme to get into shape should be to create a situation where this is the only type of hunger you experience in your life. When this is the case you will feel calm, controlled and have an easy relationship with food.

Water hunger –

A thirst for water is almost indistinguishable from a normal hunger feeling. It usually grows gradually and evenly. It will be like normal hunger in that it is a fairly calm request on the body and you can easily manage it. However, if you keep eating instead of drinking water when you are water hungry you may find yourself continually eating.

It should be pointed out that a water hunger is not the same as feeling thirsty. When hydration levels drop significantly and you will crave water. This is easy to spot. A water hunger is when you are slightly dehydrated but not enough to feel thirsty and hence you can confuse the signal as hunger.

This type of hunger is easily countered by drinking regularly water throughout the day. Ideally you would have some water every hour. Small quantities but regularly works best for the body. Look to consume around 200ml per hour. (just under half a pint) of pure water.

Cell energy hunger –

A cell energy hunger is one of the most common causes of hunger and perhaps the biggest reason people wrongly blame their eating on emotions when it is in fact biochemical.

A cell energy hunger comes when you eat a meal with the incorrect ratio of Protein: Carbohydrates: fat for your body. When this happens you will get a hunger feeling, often in the form of a sugar craving, anywhere from 15 minutes up to 3 hours after eating.

The hunger will appear quickly and can become very strong. The feeling is uncomfortable and there is a real desire for food. It is not in your head. Resistance to this hunger is difficult. You should not beat yourself up for eating poor foods in this state but I would beat myself up for letting it happen in the first place.

The best way to counter this is to eat each meal with the correct ratio of Protein: carbohydrates: fat for your body. This can be found out through experimentation and using food reaction forms.

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