I have a new theory on why sometimes we crave more food

FiberousJ
FiberousJ Posts: 82 Member
in Motivation and Support
I always thought that the reason why one would crave more food is because of a nutritional deficiency or because their stomach was bigger and created a bigger appetite. Both still could be true. But I've been getting in a lot more fiber lately. And I've been drinking water. That helps fill your stomach.

What I have found is that eating fiber and drinking water does help you eat less somewhat. But I recently had an intense gummy worm craving. I gave in, even though my stomach was not hungry. What I'm starting to think is that our brain craves energy if we are energy deficient. It's not necessarily the calories, but food does give us energy.

And if we're stressed, anxious, tired, or feel restless, etc.. then we have some sort of energetic imbalance. I've tried so many vitamins and types of foods to try to curb my hunger. And I'm realizing it's not really my stomach. It's in my head, literally. So now, I'm trying to find ways to work on myself internally. Maybe meditation. It has taken me so long to realize that many times I'm not actually hungry. My brain is craving energy.

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,982 Member
    Actually it's not far off. I listened to a neurologist on the radio about a year ago and he that the human brain can't "multitask" like people think. You either focus or not focus on a task at hand. But because of stimuli, the brain gets inundated with signals to do things quite quickly forcing it to use energy. And it's possible that because of this, we tend to like carbs alot. And sugar is a fast way to get carbs through the body.

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  • AlexisVeilleux
    AlexisVeilleux Posts: 12 Member
    Iv been seeing a nutritionist for about half a year now, eating complete proteins give your body the best form of energy for fuel so for instance if you eat a full bowl of chicken or a full bowl of rice, the chicken will satisfy you for most of the day, versus the rice, a short acting carb, will make you feel over stuffed and then hungry again within an hour or so :smile: of course you shouldnt just eat protein all the time you need variety and lots of fiber or else you'll be constipated as heck! But, anyways, thought id share the information I was given. She told me prioritize eating your lean proteins first, then your vegetables, and then eat your carbs, that way if you feel full youve eaten all the most important stuff first. Best of luck to all of you!
  • AlexisVeilleux
    AlexisVeilleux Posts: 12 Member
    Find something you love doing and let yourself just indulge in that! So rarely do we all let ourselves indulge in hobbies or books because they consume time but food comsumes our time too and doesnt leave us with feeling good after like painting would or whatever your niche is
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    When I'm exhausted, I get hungry. A hot drink with a little sugar is usually enough to kill the hunger switch though.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I believe I have a troll living in my belly. He has a mind of his own and he hates change. If I get in the habit of eating cookies after dinner, then skip them one night for example, the troll howls. If I go into deficit for a few weeks, the troll howls for about the first week, then settles down when it doesn't do any good. I can be completely distracted from his grumblings by various activities. But, if I'm not otherwise engaged, and food is handy, watch out!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    FiberousJ wrote: »
    I always thought that the reason why one would crave more food is because of a nutritional deficiency or because their stomach was bigger and created a bigger appetite. Both still could be true. But I've been getting in a lot more fiber lately. And I've been drinking water. That helps fill your stomach.

    What I have found is that eating fiber and drinking water does help you eat less somewhat. But I recently had an intense gummy worm craving. I gave in, even though my stomach was not hungry. What I'm starting to think is that our brain craves energy if we are energy deficient. It's not necessarily the calories, but food does give us energy.

    And if we're stressed, anxious, tired, or feel restless, etc.. then we have some sort of energetic imbalance. I've tried so many vitamins and types of foods to try to curb my hunger. And I'm realizing it's not really my stomach. It's in my head, literally. So now, I'm trying to find ways to work on myself internally. Maybe meditation. It has taken me so long to realize that many times I'm not actually hungry. My brain is craving energy.

    Sure. Stress, high emotion (like anxiety), etc., spend energy, so can increase fatigue. It's not some kind of mysterious thing. Fatigue makes the body seek energy (or rest). Food is energy. Meditation and stress management may be helpful, yes. Consider the role of sleep, as well, as that's a thing many people could improve, in quality or quantity.
  • iam4scuba
    iam4scuba Posts: 39 Member
    edited May 2021
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8tiTVt24nwk

    This clip is on my favorites list.

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