12 things that make you think you're hungry

"There is no more sincere love than that for food." This ironic phrase by Irish playwright and journalist George Bernard Shaw (1956-1950) illustrates the longest novel in history: that of the human being for food. Eating is one of the greatest pleasures of the human being. When feeding, there is a widespread release of serotonin (substance of satiety and pleasure) by the body. That is, the pleasure of eating a food is instantaneous.

Eating is also a collective pleasure, no wonder many people claim that life happens around the table. Those who are on a diet and have an active social life find it more difficult to avoid temptation.

The number of overweight adults and children in Brazil is increasing every year according to the Vigitel Survey (Risk Factors Surveillance and Protection for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey) conducted since 2006 by the Ministry of Health. Currently it indicates that 49% of Brazilians they are overweight and 16% of them are obese.

For psychologist Germano Rosa, specific overweight may be linked to emotional factors and poor eating habits that cause false hunger, a hungry reaction in situations where eating was associated with situations in which it was not originally.

Psychologist Germano and nutritionist Aline Costa have listed twelve reasons why people believe they are hungry. Check it out below:

1. You are dehydrated

Do you know that hunger that doesn't pass? Maybe she is thirsty. To avoid this sensation nutritionist Aline Costa gives the hint: Stop and think before you give in to food. Drink a glass of water and only then will you know how to distinguish hunger from thirst and gradually learn what you really need. The German psychologist completes True hunger reacts to typical body and environmental stimuli. Stomach growling and salivation at pre-set feeding times, is that hungry? He says. To avoid this situation, Aline remembers that feeling thirsty is a sign that your body is already dehydrating, so you should drink fluids before you even feel thirsty.

2. You spend the day looking at food Instagrams

The Journal of Neuroscience has published research showing that exposure to images of good-looking dishes activate the part of the brain responsible for craving, and the result is usually a slight exaggeration at the next meal. "Pictures of delicious foods will almost always arouse and stimulate hunger because our body is conditioned to respond this way to sensory stimuli," says the psychologist. For the nutritionist, besides avoiding these images, the ideal is to be well fed, to split meals in small portions ingested every 3 hours.

3. Are you anxious or stressed

Two of the most common causes for a binge eating (when you eat a lot even without having to) are anxiety and stress. Both feelings can make you overeat or undereat. Stress and anxiety can stimulate hunger only indirectly; In people who have learned that in the face of stress or anxiety, the resource to quench them would be to eat. To detect stress it is interesting that the person starts to notice their own behaviors. Tense reactions and a feeling of wearing too much are typical behaviors of a "stressed out", notes Germano. The dietitian points to a diet rich in fiber and foods that stimulate the production of leptin, the satiety hormone in raw ginger, silver banana, whole grains and cereals, cocoa, alfalfa sprouts, and unsweetened green juices. , among others. Briefly, a diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins, avoiding industrialized foods.

4. You eat in front of the TV

The habit is highly criticized by nutritionists, because in this situation you end up eating more than usual and without realizing it, since you are distracted. The psychologist highlights one more aggravating factor: • Feeding and concomitantly being present in front of the television stimulus teaches our body that it must feel hungry in this situation. That is, in future situations it is possible that starvation occurs in front of the TV. Is it the same mechanism when we learn to be afraid when we see a rat or cockroach?

5. You are nutrient deficient

It's called Hunger Hides a disease caused by a lack of certain nutrients in the body. One in four people suffer from this disease according to the World Health Organization. The diagnosis is made by blood test and the treatment of the disease is simpler than its diagnosis: dietary supplementation, dietary diversification and physical exercise.

6. You are on PMS

Women during the period of premenstrual tension and pregnant women feel specific cravings that are related to the hormone load that the body receives in these particular situations. Be careful that these wills do not result in extra pounds in the balance.

7. You are sad

Unresolved passions and difficulties in resolving personal conflicts are directly related to changes in levels of serotonin, the pleasure hormone that is released when we eat. Eating when you are sad can be an instant relief, but this behavior tends to cause many problems in the short and long term, so avoid eating to compensate. Some sad event.

8. You sleep a little

Some studies indicate that people who sleep less than 8 hours a night tend to be overweight by eating larger than normal portions. The relationship between sleep and overweight was not directly confirmed, as it could be linked to other health factors that even people who sleep more, who are therefore healthier, could have.

9. You are eating too much sugar

Sugar can be a major villain in diets, according to Aline Costa because, besides being caloric, it activates the need? to eat more sugar. The more sugar consumed, the greater the desire for this food. Leptin is a hormone that controls the satiety that the person feels, foods high in sugar impair this action ?, explains.

10. You make a lot of happy hour

One advice from nutritionist Aline Costa is to reflect on her programs and outings, which do not always need to involve food, especially unhealthy ones. Happy hour is filled with delicious and caloric temptations, so be careful not to overdo these events.

11. You are procrastinating

It turns out that food is just an excuse for not having to fill in blank paper, writing boring text, starting a job. Everyone is aware that procrastinating doesn't work, but if you want to do it anyway, look for a salad plate and not a candy bar.

12. You talk a lot about food

Do we get hungry when we are talking about food or are we talking about food when we are hungry? For psychologist Germano Rosa, both alternatives are possible. When we talk about food our body reacts to the verbal and imaginary stimuli of this speech, that is, we may be hungry. And talking about food can bring an advance of the pleasure of eating only by this memory of what it is like to eat?

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