It Is Not About Hunger

A good friend of mine who is straggling with her weight told me the following story:

"When I turn on TV during a commercial of, let’s say, blueberry pancakes I immediately want them. It may be straight after dinner, a moment ago I felt totally full, but the picture of golden streaks of honey over warm puffy cakes makes me salivate.

Ten minutes later, in the next commercial I would see a stack of crackers and start wondering if we had anything similar in the pantry. Inspired by these visuals I might crave pizza after candy and then a fried chicken wing. Eventually I would end up opening the fridge and eating something… unplanned."  

Frankly, I do not have a problem with TV commercials, because most of them look very unhealthy to me. But when I do grocery shopping I try every sample in the store. It may be a processed product that I would never buy to eat at home, but a small bite of it, as a harmless little indulgence… why not?  

So, what is it: a bad habit, lack of self-control or poor judgment?

Some people believe that if they limited their food consumption they will be constantly hungry. To avoid it nutritionists suggest having more fiber, or even - to reduce stomach surgically. That will make us satisfied earlier, so we will easily get slim and, consequently, healthy.  

This approach puzzles me a lot, because most of us hardly ever experienced hunger. To be really hungry food must be chronically scarce.

In one documentary made somewhere in Ceylon a famous American traveler was invited to a village feast. A stick-thin old woman in traditional dress offered him something looking like a handful of rice on banana leaf. Taking into consideration the circumstance this was no doubt a generous “guest” portion. 

Around us food is abundant, easily available, in our faces more often than not, and sometimes even free (yes, samples!)

The truth is – we often eat not to satisfy hunger but because the process makes us feel good. While having a morning coffee, dinner, ice cream, or a bucket of popcorn, we experience pleasure and comfort. Worries and anxieties fade or step aside. Studies say that food alleviates depression and (this I checked myself) calms down moderate pain such as head- or toothache.

Naturally, anyone would like to prolong such a feeling and induce it as often as possible.

"Drinking tea", by V. Nesterenko
This is how we like it! And, by the way, every object in this picture is real

Of course, when we were young, we had other sources of joy, much more powerful and noble: the intense array of romantic emotions, the thrill of intellectual or physical achievement. Who cared for food then? I could skip dinner for days, or grab something instead, just to keep myself on the go.

But let’s be honest, after 40 for the most of us these are sweet memories. Gradually and quietly, food becomes our closest buddy, our most reliable (hopefully, not the only one) source of gratification.

Another peculiarity of human digestion is actually formed by evolution: it is the ability to eat as often as you can get it. Predators in their natural habitat eat once in a while after they chased and killed their prey. Then they lay satisfied and rest for days.

Humans, on the other hand, may consume food anytime, just in case there would be no such opportunity later. Therefore, we can be pretty full, and yet a mere sight of food might trigger cravings again. This human weakness is very well known to producers of billboards and TV commercials. 

So to get control over food we must first admit that by the laws of nature we are not supposed to be in control here.

It has nothing to do with certain individuals having more willpower than others.  Some overweight people hesitate starting healthy diet because they believe themselves morally weaker than their slim friends.

No, we are all in this together.

Therefore, we need all help we can get to fight unreasonable food cravings. This is important not just to control portions but in making healthier choices.

Over the years I have collected an arsenal of little arrangements to help myself on a bad day. Some of them I figured out on my own, and others - found in related publications. Not all the recommendations out there worked for me. But those that do may be as well useful for somebody else.

Next time I will share them in this blog.