Why Am I So Hungry?

The way the body communicates physically with us is through pain, discomfort, thirst, and hunger. Appetite is a sensation that arises at various times of the day and for which we have the need to ingest food; it becomes problematic when it arrives unexpectedly, when we eat without feeling it, or when it persists even after eating. Through appetite, our body expresses a dissatisfaction that is not always physical. In a state of full consciousness –connected to the present, in sync with the body and its sensations– we can fully identify where the appetite comes from. For this, we need to make an internal observation: within us, there is more than just organs; within us, countless sensations express themselves that always have something to tell us about ourselves.  Having good communication with the body is essential for maintaining health and, of course, to stop fighting with food, to stop jumping from one diet to another, to stop being at odds with the outside when in reality what happens is a disconnection with the inside. Communication with the body is not a fad of the new age. Body communication means sharpening the senses towards the most tangible thing we have; taking the time and space to listen to the body. Just breathing for a couple of minutes, becoming aware of inhalation and exhalation, and scanning each part of the body –yes, as if we were an x-ray machine–. “This is my nose. This is my mouth, my organs, my muscles, my blood, my skin…” After a few moments, we will notice how my inside feels: what hurts, what feels good, what is needed. Meditation, then, becomes a body dialogue in which the wisest one reveals its emotional, physical, and mental state.  From this daily practice, we will begin to make better food choices and, of course, identify where the hunger we experience comes from. According to Jane Chozen Bays, a writer and theorist of mindful eating, there are seven types of hunger. Visual hunger: arises, for example, when we see a cake being cut and from its fluffy interior oozes melted chocolate. This is what is called food porn: stimuli created through food that awaken the feeling of wanting it right now! Olfactory hunger: is there anything more seductive than the aroma coming from a pot of tamales? The notes of coffee? Cookies in the oven? I don’t think so. All of that is a bucket of water to that hunger that awakens through the nose. Bucal hunger: many of us experienced this during the pandemic; it comes with the urge to chew on something, to gnaw on it, because we feel anguish, because we experience anxiety. This will not find satisfaction until the crisis subsides or the awareness of the moment and what we are feeling lands within us. Stomach hunger: this is the result of emptiness, or at least having space in the organ that some Eastern doctors call the second brain. It is normal to feel stomach hunger after several hours of fasting. Cellular hunger: the hunger that pregnant women express as cravings. It is based on the body's requirements because according to its perfect and wise calculations, there is a deficiency of nutrients or an unbalanced conversion between energy and sources of power. This type of appetite often appears after intense exercise. Mental hunger: comes to us when a stimulus ignites a childhood memory, something we consider culturally relevant, or something we learned was delicious. This hunger jumps into our heads when we are on a diet or restricted from foods; when we miss what was cooked at home or evokes a happy moment. Heart hunger: how many times have we eaten to fill the lack of sweetness, joy, love, abandonment, or rejection? This is the hunger that desperately –and also inexorably– seeks to close an emotional gap through kilos and liters of food and drink. We try to fill an emotional void with something physical, where guilt and punishment arrive faster than joy. For this reason, psychologists recommend not turning food into punishment or reward when raising children.Meditation or the practice of mindfulness (being aware of the here and now for several minutes a day) helps us clearly connect with thoughts, emotions, and, of course, with the body. If we take the time to know it, we will learn about its deficiencies, how it manifests emotional lacks, and its physiological needs. In the end, by listening to the wise one, you will make better food choices. Better decisions in general, indeed.