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Nutrition

Understanding the Different Types and Signs of Hunger

December 9, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Picture of a table of food that is being shared by many people to represent signs of hunger with the words "understanding the different types of hunger"

Did you know that there are more types of hunger than just physical hunger? Specifically, there are four different types of hunger that can help you understand your own signs of hunger and individual needs through intuitive eating. These types of hunger include physical, emotional, taste, and practical hunger. Some of these can occur at the same time or completely independent of one another.

Physical Signs of Hunger

Physical hunger is the one that most people are most familiar with – but that’s not always the case. It is possible not to know what physical hunger feels like, which can stem from continually suppressing the signal. And many aren’t familiar with the subtle signs of physical hunger, such as merely beginning to think about food. Understanding the subtle signs of hunger can help you eat with attunement to your body’s needs. These are a few ways (obvious and maybe not so obvious) that physical hunger manifests:

  • Stomach: growling, rumbling, gurgling
  • Throat or esophagus: dull ache or gnawing feeling
  • Head: light-headed, dizzy, faint, difficulty focusing
  • Mood: thinking about food, cranky, irritable, “hangry”
  • Energy: waning, lethargic, tired

If you want to understand physical hunger and its nuances better, I recommend using a hunger fullness scale like this one to explore your feelings of physical hunger.

hunger fullness scale that shows a scale of 1-10 to show the signs of hunger at each level

Emotional Hunger

Emotional hunger is something that many people fear by thinking that emotional eating is always problematic. In actuality, emotional eating can be helpful. We’re wired as humans to soothe and fix uncomfortable feelings. Physical hunger is an uncomfortable feeling, so we eat to soothe it – problem solved. Boredom, loneliness, stress, and grief are all uncomfortable feelings, so it’s natural for us to try something like eating (that is generally enjoyable or can be enjoyable) to soothe those feelings too. Food won’t fix many of those problems, so it’s important to seek other coping mechanisms that help the root issue. And other times, coming home from work after a really crappy day and eating something that evokes pleasant memories or experiences can genuinely feel good. And that’s okay too. Emotional eating is entirely valid.

Taste Hunger

Taste hunger happens when it’s just that food tastes good or a special occasion where it is part of the ritual to eat (like a wedding cake, for example) even if you’re not physically hungry. These are both acceptable. From a taste perspective, we are wired to enjoy highly palatable foods. If you’re not physically hungry and wanting to enjoy food for the sake of taste, pause after a few bites and ask if the taste is just as good as when you took your first bite. Taste satisfaction will dissipate. Another question to ask if you’re not sure is, “when will I be able to enjoy this particular food truly? Is it now, or will it be better later?” Either way, you get to enjoy any food you want, whenever you want, and the bottom line is to enjoy the taste and move on. Don’t get hung up on feeling guilty – that’s the part that typically disrupts our ability to do what’s best for ourselves.

Practical Hunger

Practical hunger isn’t hunger, per se. It’s more about the practicality of keeping yourself from getting too hungry. Here’s a situation – you try not to schedule meetings during lunchtime, but one comes up anyway, and it’s not appropriate for you to eat during the meeting. You know, after the meeting, you’ll be hungry, and this meeting sometimes runs over. So, you opt to eat lunch before you go to the meeting to ensure you have a sustained amount of energy and don’t find yourself hangry after the meeting.

More on Signs of Hunger and Cues

As a VERY general rule of thumb, you can assume that physical hunger will likely hit at least every 3-5 hours, which can help you plan ahead for windows of time that you will likely be hungry. Keep in mind we are not machines or robots. Your activity level, hormone fluctuations, what you ate the day before or even the meal before, etc., are all just a few factors that impact our hunger cues, so it’s completely normal and natural to have hunger outside of those windows. When you experience hunger in any of its forms, the important thing is that you honor it.

Are you interested in understanding more about your body’s cues through intuitive eating? Book a free session to work with me to cultivate a better relationship with food and your body through intuitive eating.

Filed Under: Nutrition

What You Should Know About Meal Plans

April 20, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Two containers with meal prepped food

This post may contain links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I’ve been asked countless times in my nearly 7 years as a dietitian, “can you give me a meal plan?” The simple answer is no. Me giving someone an inflexible, rigid plan to follow for however long never ends well. It sounds great in theory, but it never works because it can’t factor in cravings, activity, stress, and a million other factors that I can’t anticipate. A better question is “how do I meal plan?” Meal plan or meal planning is most effective when it’s an action, not an object that you get from someone that doesn’t know your needs or preferences. I teach clients how to meal plan and offer a meal planning service tool that helps them stay organized. I may offer suggestions if a client is having trouble with ideas, and my service is chock-full of meal and snack ideas. Still, ultimately it’s not me that makes the meal or snack choice – it’s YOU. 

Two containers of meal prepped food with the title "What You Should Know About Meal Plans"

By having the skill to anticipate your own needs, wants, and challenges, you’re better equipped to handle the million extra factors that may or may not come into play throughout your week. You’ll have a plan, which means you’ll be prepared and more likely to make healthy choices, but you’ll also know how to be flexible, work through challenges, and know when it’s okay to change directions. It’s the idea of giving a man a fish to feed himself for the day vs. teaching a man to fish to feed him for a lifetime. 

Here are 3 tips on how to start meal planning:

  • If you don’t usually plan your week, start with just 2-3 meals per week to prep and/or plan. It can feel much less daunting than planning your every move throughout the week. If you’re already meal planning some, but want to increase, then pick a couple of extra meals to plan or prep.
  • Buy 2-3 items to jazz up leftovers throughout the week. Maybe you had chicken tacos one night, but throwing in some BBQ sauce and putting the same meal on top of rice instead of tortillas can make leftovers feel like a brand new meal.
  • BE FLEXIBLE. I cannot stress this enough. It’s okay if plans change, it’s okay if you decide on something else. I see a lot of people that beat themselves up for “not sticking to the plan.” It’s fine. The plan is more of a guide, not a rigid rulebook.

As I mentioned before, I offer a meal planning service through a simple and easy to use software. You have complete control over what you choose for the week. Once you pick out your recipes for the week, then a grocery list is generated. You can simply check off what you already have at home, then print or view on your phone for stress-free grocery shopping. Hop over to my meal planning page, and grab your free 3-day trial (no credit card required)!

Two containers of meal prepped food with the title "What You Should Know About Meal Plans"

Filed Under: Meal Prep, Nutrition

3 Reasons Why You Should Eat Carbs

February 5, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Graphic saying "3 Reasons You Should Eat Carbs" with a picture of a meal in the background
Graphic saying "3 Reasons You Should Eat Carbs" with a picture of a meal in the background

There is so much fear these days around carbs (carbohydrates). You’ll read about one fad diet or another vilifying carbs for weirdest reasons nearly every single day. Some of the silliest include that carbs make you gain weight; you can’t digest them well; they are just plain evil and responsible for all that’s wrong in the world – or at least that’s what it feels like at times. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I’m here to say: no, no, and NO! Please eat carbs. Here are my top reasons why carbs are essential to a healthy, balanced diet. 

Carbs are mostly plant-based and full of vital micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. 

Anything that comes from the ground contains carbohydrates. Dig back into your memory from high school biology. Remember photosynthesis? You know, how plants make and store their food? Carbohydrates are a byproduct of this process. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains have varying degrees of carbohydrates. By forgoing carbs all together or limiting them to meager amounts, essential nutrients intakes can be compromised. Including a variety of plant-based foods in your diet gets increasingly difficult, the more that carbs are restricted. Ditching bananas? You’ll also be ditching potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium. Are you saying goodbye to sweet potatoes? There goes a good source of vitamin A and B6. 

Carbs help healthy gut bacteria thrive. 

Carbs that are high in fiber (“complex carbs”) are mana to good bacteria in our guts. Studies have shown that fermentable fibers help keep a healthy variety of good bacteria in our intestines. Good bacteria help keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy and act as an immune barrier to harmful bacteria that can make us ill. Carbohydrates that can help feed our microbiome include whole grains, fruits, beans, and vegetables. Some gastrointestinal disorders may cause maldigestion of certain carbs, but this is highly individualized and does not apply to the general population. Those with this type of digestive problem can still eat carbs, but certain ones may be better tolerated. You should always consult your doctor or dietitian for more specific recommendations. 

Carbs play an essential role in heart health and diabetes.

Soluble fiber found in carbohydrates has a lowering effect on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (or LDL cholesterol). High levels of LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Soluble fiber is found in carbohydrate foods like oats, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Also, getting a consistent pattern of high fiber carbohydrates can help to regulate blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day. The American Diabetes Association does not recommend one specific diet or to completely cut out carbs. What is most important is focusing on an eating pattern that feels good to the individual and is sustainable. 

Graphic of "Eat Carbs, Enjoy Them, Amen." @agratefulmeal

Here’s the bottom line: eat carbs and enjoy them.

Cutting carbs to extremes can have a detrimental effect on your ability to sustain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. It can also contribute to yo-yo dieting, which can cause metabolic damage. Focus on fiber-rich carbohydrates most of the time. If you enjoy more processed high carbohydrate drinks and foods, enjoy in moderation. If you feel out of control around carbohydrates, that feeling might change when you include a healthy amount of carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes throughout your day. 

If you aren’t sure how to take steps to include carbohydrates into your diet, let’s chat! I’d be happy to schedule a free introduction call with you to see what I can do to help you with this topic. Check out my services page to learn more. 

Sources:

Food Components and Dietary Habits: Keys for a Healthy Gut Microbiota Composition

Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications

Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits

Filed Under: Nutrition

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