This article first appeared in Kannada in ಕ್ಷ ಕಿರಣ, Dr Shashikiran Umakanth’s column in the Vishwavani daily. The Inside Story is its English edition. ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿ
“Doctor, I eat very little. But my weight just won’t come down. And my sugar won’t come under control either!”
I hear this complaint all the time.
So I sit with the person and go through their day, hour by hour. And the real story comes out. At the three regular meals, perhaps they really do eat less. But then there is the snacking between meals. A little something “just to keep the mouth busy”. A handful of this, a biscuit or two of that. It goes on so quietly that they never notice it.
Have you ever been sitting in front of the TV, got up for no reason at all, and opened the fridge door just to look inside? Have you finished a full meal and still felt that you must have something sweet, or something crunchy?
Then remember this. None of that is real hunger.
Very often we eat when we are not hungry at all. We eat when we are bored. When we are angry. When we feel lonely, or tired, or anxious. And sometimes for no better reason than that someone has put a plate of snacks in front of us. Doctors and psychologists call this emotional eating. In Kannada we have a good word for it: chapala, a restless itch to eat. Whatever we call it, the stomach has no part in it. It is a game the mind plays.
If we want to eat better, we must first learn to tell the two apart: real hunger, and the false hunger we call a craving.
Hunger or Craving: What Is the Difference?
There are four differences. Understand them, and half your health problem is solved right there.
1. It Creeps Up, or It Pounces
Real hunger comes on slowly. As the stomach empties, signals travel to the brain, and the feeling of hunger grows step by step.
A craving is different. It strikes all at once. A minute ago you felt nothing. Then you pass a bakery signboard, or an advertisement comes on the TV, and suddenly you feel fiercely hungry. That hunger is an illusion.
2. “Anything Will Do”, or “Only That Will Do”
When you are truly hungry, any ordinary meal put in front of you tastes like nectar. Plain rice and rasam, a roti with a little vegetable: you eat it and you are content.
A craving will not settle for simple food. It wants one particular thing, and it won’t let go. “I want a pizza, right now.” “Only a chocolate ice cream will do.” When the mind digs in its heels like this, that is the craving talking.
3. Satisfied, or Never Satisfied
When you eat because you are hungry, the brain says “Enough, stop” once the stomach is full. And you stop.
A craving does not stop there. You may be full right up to the throat, and still it nudges you. “There’s always a separate stomach for sweets!” And you eat again.
4. The Body’s Need, or the Mind’s Demand
Hunger is your body asking for energy. It is physical. A craving is tied to your feelings. It lives in the mind.
When You Think You Are Hungry
Much of the time, your body doesn’t need calories at all. Something else is the matter:
- too much stress at work
- too little sleep
- thirst, or too little water in the body
- loneliness, or boredom
Thirst deserves a special word. The parts of the brain that control hunger and thirst sit right next to each other. So when the body is really asking for water, the brain can send the wrong message, and we feel hungry instead.
So What Do You Do? Learn to HALT
The next time you suddenly want to eat, and it isn’t mealtime, don’t reach straight for the snack tin. Stop, and ask yourself four questions.
In the Kannada column I gave them as a little formula, ha-si-be-su, from the first sound of each Kannada word. In English, the first letters of the same four questions spell a word that tells you exactly what to do. HALT.
- H, Hungry: Is my stomach really hungry?
- A, Angry: Am I angry with someone?
- L, Lonely: Am I bored, or lonely?
- T, Tired: Am I worn out, or just sleepy?
Here Is All You Have to Do
Once you have asked yourself these questions, drink a glass of water. Then wait, doing nothing, for just ten minutes. Those ten minutes stand like a wall between your craving and your good sense. If you still feel just as hungry after ten minutes, go ahead and eat, and eat well. But nine times out of ten, by the end of those ten minutes the craving will simply have vanished!
Five Simple Rules for Healthier Eating
- Don’t eat at once. Wait a little. As I said above, make the ten-minute wait a habit. That one small pause can change your decision completely.
- Don’t eat straight from the packet. Eat chips or biscuits out of the packet and you lose count of how many have gone. Put some on a small plate, and eat from that.
- Out of sight, out of mind. Don’t leave junk food out on the dining table where you can see it. When we see it, we want it. That is only natural. Keep it in a tin. Better still, stop bringing it home.
- Eat on time. Don’t skip meals. Leave the stomach empty for too long and you become ravenous. Then the mind longs for exactly the sweet, fatty food you were trying to avoid.
- Know what you are feeling. When you are bored, stressed or sad, remind yourself that food is not the medicine for it. When boredom strikes, go for a walk, listen to some music, or talk to someone close to you.
A Last Word
Remember: hunger is the language of the body. Craving is a drama staged by the mind.
Train your mind to tell the two apart. Feed only your body’s real hunger. As for the craving, starve it. Let it die of hunger!
Then your health stays firmly in your own hands.
