When “hanger” strikes (the SURPRISING effect!)

Do you ever feel “hangry?”

Has anyone ever accused you of making it up as an excuse for poor behavior?

Well, science reveals this phenomenon is REAL—and it could strike daily.

Plus, the hungrier you are, the “hangrier” you may become.

Let me explain…

Anger, irritability, unpleasantry

“Hanger” occurs when people’s emotions heighten simply because they are hungry.

A study published in the journal PLoS ONE, sought to investigate how these emotions relate back to hunger levels on a day-to-day basis.

Using an app on their smartphone five times a day, participants reported their levels of:

• Hunger
• Anger
• Irritability
• Pleasure
• Arousal

In addition, they recorded their eating behaviors. Data was collected on:

• Frequency of main meals and snacking
• Food choices (healthy or unhealthy)
• Feelings of satiety
• Dietary behaviors (restrictive, emotional, or externally-influenced eating, where the presence of food may influence intake)

Ultimately, to no surprise, researchers linked higher levels of hunger to greater feelings of anger and irritability, and lower feelings of pleasure (i.e. “hangry”).

Fix your relationship with food
Researchers also discovered negative emotions were influenced by day-to-day fluctuations in physical (belly growling) and residual (when feelings of satiety are lower due to lack of essential nutrients, fats, protein, and more) hunger levels.

In fact, only 55 percent of participants reported paying attention to their hunger pangs.

Then, 23 percent said they knew when they were full—and a whopping 63 percent continued to eat even after they felt “full.”

Not to mention, 13 percent chose to indulge when they felt stressed, upset, angry, or bored.

Hanger levels aside… that type of relationship with food just spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

If you really want to squash feelings of “hanger” and improve your health, do what I do: only opt for fresh, whole foods that nourish your body. Shop the outer perimeter of your grocery store or load up from a local farmer’s market.

As a result, you’ll become more in tune with your body.

For me, I was able to learn my body’s hunger cues by following a low-carb, high-fat diet (like my A-List Diet). And through intermittent fasting.

My hunger pangs are few and far between. I rarely (if ever) feel the desire to overindulge. And my mood has improved indefinitely!

Until next time,
Dr. Fred

Source:
“People Really Can Get ‘Hangry’ When Hungry.” Medscape, 07/06/2022. (medscape.co.uk/viewarticle/people-really-can-get-hangry-when-hungry-2022a1001q7b)