You’d think that we’d eat just when we’re hungry, right? That would be so rational. However, you also know that situations beside true hunger drive many of us to food. I believe that we eat like we live – in peace or in chaos or somewhere in between – and food becomes a coping mechanism in times of extreme emotions. Let’s explore…
I’ve read before that true hunger is a throat sensation, not a stomach or intestinal sensation. I can honestly say that I’ve NEVER ever felt hunger in my throat. Just one grumble of the belly sends me into the kitchen. I do not like to be hungry AT ALL…or my interpretation of hungry anyway.
Some people like to eat on a schedule: breakfast, lunch, maybe snack and dinner all at predictable times. Others eat when they are hungry and others, just whenever they can squeeze it in. Is there a right way? Of course there is: the way that works best for you and your lifestyle. Ideally it would not be while commuting from one appointment to the next, but we know that happens sometimes.
Aside from nourishing our bodies often & well enough, food can be a great way to procrastinate, numb, and endure when we are not truly hungry.
1. Procrastinate: “I so need to shop for, prepare, eat and meticulously clean up lunch and perhaps reorganize the utensil drawer before I can possibly balance the checkbook. Breakfast first…then I’ll take a shower, make the bed, walk the dog, brush my teeth. I really should get a 5 course dinner ready before I write my weekly blog post due today. ” It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s human.
2. Numb: “I can’t believe she broke up with me, let’s go get some beer & wings. I’ve had such a hard day so I’ll take the biggest bucket of buttered popcorn, M&M’s and a gigantic Diet Coke please. I’m pretty sure these brownies will taste ok through tears & snot. I hate my life, where’s Cinnabon?” It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s human.
3. Endure: “Just one more pot of coffee and I think I can finish this financial report for the surprise meeting with the boss tomorrow. If I keep crunching on these chips & nuts, I can make it to the state line before the sun rises. I don’t know why I’m at this party -if I keep eating the cocktail sausages, I’ll look like I belong here, right?” It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s human.
Enduring Lunch
But these coping habits rarely make us proud of ourselves in the long run. Learning how to handle emotional fear without food is a key to spiritual freedom. Try these tips instead:
-1. Proact: Do the first 15 minutes of the task you don’t want to do. Promise yourself that after 15 minutes, you’ll give yourself a break if you need it. Oftentimes the hardest part is just getting started or making the transition from one activity to the next. Most often the anticipation is more destructive than actually doing whatever it was that was causing you such dread. Tell yourself: “I enjoy the success of starting & finishing a task.”
-2. Sense: If there is something uncomfortable facing you, you might as well feel the feelings and walk into it. Numbing your senses will only temporarily delay reality since we can not feel intensely and eat copiously at the same time. Rather than turning to food, call a friend, write in a journal, go on a walk or a run, listen to music, dance or otherwise help your body process the emotions & feelings with a sober body & mind. Binging and then having to deal with the intense situation ON TOP OF feeling crappy about yourself for having binged is only going to be worse and harder. Tell yourself: “I am everything I need to be right now.”
-3. Rest: Stop pushing yourself into a state of disorientation. Shoving food in your mouth only keeps you awake because your body doesn’t want to choke, so it stays awake to keep chewing. As soon as you stop chewing, you’ll drift off. Stop, drop and rest even if just for a powernap. Nothing can replace rest. No amount or type of food or drink can give you energy. Only rest can give you energy. Tell yourself: “I enjoy performing, behaving & thinking to the best of my ability when well rested.”
If you are unable to go “cold turkey” on your emotional eating habits, try stocking up on lots of fresh fruits & veggies. Keep them ready & handy. If you just have to munch, these foods will not pack on the pounds & guilt like junk food will. Fresh food may not comfort & numb quite like a whole casserole, but you want to keep your self-respect intact, right?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Yup. I’ve felt the throat hunger before, although like you, I’m more conditioned to respond with the stomach thing. lol Throat hunger feels kind of like thirst, and our response to it is similar~~a general awareness of wanting something to eat, but nothing hysterical about it, as we generally find with a craving or stomach pangs.
But I’ll tell you, the first time I attempted to wait to eat until I felt throat hunger I nearly fainted from hunger. I just couldn’t feel it!! I had to train myself to feel it.
I’ve read that anatomically the center for hunger and the center for thirst are very close together in the throat, and I’ve arrived a theory about this: Since they’re so close together in the throat (1) we can’t seem to pinpoint throat hunger, and (2) they’re easily confused~it is said that often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty. Just a theory…
One thing to notice before the pangs of throat hunger is sudden, unprovoked salivation~your mouth waters for no reason. The moment you experience that, it’s time to start thinking about eating cuz throat hunger is fast approaching. Ever experience your mouth watering like this, Carla? …..ana xo
Thank you Ana for your input. What you wrote makes perfect sense….about confusing hunger and thirst. Perhaps I have felt this hunger before but interpreted it as thirst.
Oftentimes too when we “think” we’re hungry, we may be thirsty but also tired.
I wonder too if this thirst/hunger sensation is also a clue to eat more water dense foods like juicy fruits.
The only time I’ve ever experienced my mouth watering, I think, is before I got sick to my stomach. Is that the same sensation, but without the nausea?
This has totally peaked my curiosity! Thanks for the discussion Ana! <3
You wrote: “I wonder too if this thirst/hunger sensation is also a clue to eat more water dense foods like juicy fruits.”
Precisely! Especially in light of the fact that in nature both hunger and thirst would be satisfied at once…highly doubtful that thirst without hunger (or vise versa) would be regularly experienced in nature.
You wrote: “The only time I’ve ever experienced my mouth watering, I think, is before I got sick to my stomach. Is that the same sensation, but without the nausea?”
LOL! Yes! That is so funny, you’re right! Yea, sort of like that but with no discomfort. Believe me, it’s very subtle…like thirst come to think of it: You know when you’re thirsty, but can’t describe the sensation terribly easily.
(Personally, I believe that that is an indication that humans in nature most generally lived in situations of abundance. Our bodies didn’t have to create an obvious hunger sensation because hunger was so easily satisfied in nature without it… Your thoughts?
I’m loving this conversation! So much to think deeply about.
Perhaps the tummy grumbling or intestinal shifting that we interpret as hunger is an evolutionary way of keeping the take full before true hunger hits. Our survival and our thriving depend on remaining nourished rather than having a perpetual feast and famine contrast.
As we begin to complete the digestion of our last meal, the body “tells us” to start looking for new food. True hunger hasn’t set in yet, that’s why the “warning” bell is louder than the “danger” bell perhaps.
Thank you for this new insight, Ana, and revelation! I think we’re on to something! 😉