Friend,
While the phenomena of being "hangry" isn't a new one, the spiffy description sure has our attention. I'm guessing it's mostly because it's getting a lot of air time on television commercials. They take an ornery character, give him a Snickers bar and poof! The guy magically transforms into a nice a nice person. I thought it was pretty funny the first few times I saw it because it has a lot of truth to it.
But the real question we should be asking is:
What exactly does it mean to be hangry
and what can we do about it?
Here's what happens: When your blood sugar falls, the hormones cortisol and epinephrine are released in an attempt to raise it back to normal. These are stress hormones which is why they tend to lead to irritability. It also explains why we can get so crabby when we skip a meal. Especially breakfast.
According to Dr. Deena Adimoolam, MD, there's another hormone called Neuropeptide Y that plays a role in hanger too. Neuropeptide Y helps create a hungry feeling when your body needs more food—and it's also linked to aggression. Are you starting to see a trend here?
I hate to say it, but we're at the mercy of our hormones—again—if we don't unravel the mystery and take a few conscious steps to bring things back in balance.
So what's a gal (or guy) to do when hunger strikes? A short-term fix would be to carry snacks with you or have them in your car for "just in case."
A few of my favs are: - Almonds or other nuts
- Healthy protein bars (I love Primal Kitchen, it's low in sugar and has 15 grams of protein)
- Protein powder (my go-to's are SunWarrior's mocha flavored and vegan chocolate Shakeology); put a scoop in a shaker cup and keep an extra bottle of water on hand. That's one of the things I keep in my car because I know I can always get water somewhere and I can just shake it and drink up.
For a longer term solution, try a few of these tips: - Aim for balanced meal ratios. Each meal should have protein, whole grains and colorful produce with healthy fat like avocado, nuts, olive or coconut oil. When you eat like this, energy and fuel are like a time-released vitamin, slowly trickling into your system for hours.
- Don't wait until you're hungry to eat. We've all been eating since we were infants so it should be no surprise that we need to eat multiple times a day. Plan your meals and eat every four to six hours to avoid riding the emotional roller coaster.
- Go food shopping. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it happens all the time. We get busy and end up with junk food and quick meals from takeout. This is not the way to go if you want to keep your emotions in check. With all the different food delivery systems available, try ordering on-line if you don't have time to go to the grocer store. Fast food is usually filled with ingredients that do not stabilize blood sugar so for obvious reasons should be avoided.
- Don't forget your healthy snacks. This one bears repeating, especially if you're on the go and don't have time to prepare an important meal like breakfast. Try apple slices with almond or peanut butter, blueberries and walnuts, hummus with cut veggies, or grape tomatoes with basil and cheese. You can also make up your own trail mix with nuts and dried cranberries or raisins.
Remember, any healthy food you eat whether it's a meal or a snack, will keep you from reaching the point of no return. When it comes to health, it's never all or nothing. Doing something, no matter how small, always helps.
Bon appetit!
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