Are you really hungry?

We eat when we’re hungry. And we also eat when we crave for something, not necessarily because we’re hungry.Many a times we often confuse the need to eat with the urge to eat and demolish that packet of chips, or a pastry or deep fried snacks that seemed irresistible, thus consuming unnecessary calories. So how do you differentiate between the need to eat and the urge to eat? We asked experts to shed light on the same.

PHYSIOLOGICAL VS MENTAL HUNGER
Hunger can be categorised into two types: mental hunger and physiological hunger. Physiological hunger is a sensation when one feels the need to eat food. This is either aft er normal gastric emptying; ghrelin hormone secretion, following decreased leptin hormone; insulin secretion in the blood, leading to hypoglycemia causing pre-meal hunger, says Dr Sanjay Borude, obesity surgeon, Breach Candy, HN, Hinduja Hospital. “Mental hunger or mind hunger is an emotional hunger, which is a trigger-induced craving. The trigger could be stress, depression, a desire to be loved or looked aft er, etc. that can make you crave for certain comfort food. Physical hunger on the other hand, is triggered by symptoms like growling of the stomach, emptiness in the stomach, dizziness, weakness, headache, difficulty concentrating, etc.” informs health consultant Dr Parul R Sheth.

PEOPLE PACK ADDITIONAL CALORIES DUE TO MENTAL HUNGER
Often people are not able to distinguish whether they are physically or mentally hungry and demolish food that’s in sight, subsequently consuming unnecessary calories. “You tend to add more calories when you have mental hunger. This is because you crave more for sugar-fi lled foods such as cookies or chocolates. An environmental or situational hunger is a type of ‘habit’ hunger, when you feel that it is time to eat, or food is placed in front of you, you eat even if you are not experiencing any physical hunger. This way you add on more calories by eating extra food,” says Dr Sheth. Dr Borude says that urban lifestyle is probably the main cause behind this confusion. Also, heredity is another major contributing factor causing abnormal secretions of endocrinal hormones.

HOW TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO?
It is true that your physical need to eat when you are hungry and your desire to eat when you turn emotional can be confusing. When
you go past your hunger state, your blood sugar levels become low and you turn irritable. You may want to eat anything that you see. It is best to control and try to eat complex carbohydrates or proteins to restrain your calories. In times of stress, opt for healthy snacks instead. Because you are at a party or at the coffee table with cookies and samosas around you, you don’t have to feel hungry looking at it and eat it, says Dr Sheth.

HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS
Studies show that eating frequent small meals is a better weight management strategy. One strategy is to divide your food evenly over your waking hours. Eating a low-calorie snack during a long stretch between meals can take the edge off hunger and prevent overeating at the next meal, advises clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan. According to her, eating to satisfy mental hunger is unhealthy. “The trick is to keep your stomach full by eating healthy because later, even if you see some delicious food in front of you, you will end up just tasting it rather than eat the entire thing,” she adds.

WHAT TO EAT AND AVOID?
Dr Nupur Krishnan advises the following healthy food options for real hunger

PREFERABLY EAT
- Steamed idlis, dhoklas
- Coriander chutney
- Bhunna channa or bhunna channa bhel, sukha bhel, pop corn, American corn chaat
- Vegetable sandwich, paneer sandwich without cheese
- Clear soups, mix vegetable soup.
- Vegetable rice, mixed vegetable noodles, plain dal, palak paneer
- Whole wheat flour, tandoori roti, misi chapati
- Boiled egg with pav, omelette sandwich
- Buttermilk, nimbu pani, raw vegetables juice like carrot or beet, jaljeera, green tea, black tea
- Seasonal fruit plate, fruit salad, shrikhand
- Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seed, chia seeds and sunflower seeds measuring about half to one fist only

AVOID
- Butter idlis, idli fry, medu wada, pakodas
- Coconut chutney with tadka
- Vada pav, samosa, sev puri, buttery pop corn, caramel popcorn, buttery American corn chaat
- Burgers, pizzas, grilled sandwiches with cheese
- Soups with corn fl our, butter, cream etc.
- Paneer makhni, biryani, dal makhni
- Stuffed parathas, kulchas, butter naan, puris
- Chhole bhature or buttery pav bhaji
- Milkshakes, cream lassi, soft drinks, colas, milk, tea, coffee.
- Naan katai or cream biscuits
- Desserts or icecream
- Salty nuts, pistachios, cashewnuts