The 6 Types Of Hunger You Feel Over The Age Of 40
Is it possible you’ve misunderstood your hunger for the last 40 years? Yep, you’ve been bobbing whilst your appetite is weaving. Here’s how to correct your course to be leaner the easy way.
Understand the triggers that make you feel hungry.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 1 minutes 50 seconds
Time to action: 1 minute
Mantra: Know your stomach, fight the bulge
Main message: If you can spot the “hangry” trigger, you can reduce your chance of pulling it
Stat: 11am - the time the majority of the UK workforce feels “ready” for lunch
Did you know there are six different ways you can be hungry? It’s true. It’s also believed that your 40s is the decade where your appetite typically increases out of proportion to your activity level. And since your ability to burn calories is simultaneously reduced, it’s good to understand what type of hunger you’re feeling to help you decide whether to fight the feeling or hug the fridge.
THE TRIGGER: physical hunger
Your stomach feels fine. You open the fridge. You very quickly need nutrition and energy. And cake.
TREATMENT: If you can, put slow-digesting foods into your meals that help fight off the instant gratification spike. Try high protein, high casein-rich foods like cottage cheese (it goes with anything you’re having).
Even just before bed, it can help you satiate without the spike. Granted, it’s not the sexiest of snacks, but your belly and your night’s sleep will both be grateful for the cheese change up.
THE TRIGGER: nutritional hunger
After a weekend of poor diet or 90s-style drinking, have you ever noticed that fresh food feels more important and tastes better? It’s because your body is trying to stock up on nutrients in much the same way you’re desperate for water after drinking alcohol.
TREATMENT: You’re suffering from nutrient-sparse foods, so now is the time to add some resistant starches (carbohydrates that battle digestion in the small intestine and reach the colon intact) to your diet.
Stick with rice-based starch and nutrient-dense foods such as salmon, seaweed, shellfish, and even leafy greens. Sushi could be on the cards, too, so long as you can stomach it.
THE TRIGGER: habitual hunger
If you eat at mostly the same time (sometimes even the same place) daily, you’ve developed a Pavlovian response to the what and the where of hunger.
TREATMENT: Green tea contains compounds such as catechins and caffeine, which increase metabolism and reduce appetite. A generous cup between meals can help suppress hunger. It can provide a mild boost to your metabolism and work as an active ingredient in deferring the relentless metronome of your self-created nutritional body clock.
Drink between meals or when you usually eat to become less of a slave to dietary consistency. It may leave a coarse aftertaste, but that’s where the chewing gum comes in – which can also be another appetite killer if it’s spearmint flavour.
THE TRIGGER: emotional hunger
Otherwise known as overeating to fill the void. For many Gen Xers who equate emotion to weakness, even the most masculine personas will turn to food to take up a small amount of motor neuron (and stomach) space.
TREATMENT: Stress and anxiety often lead to increased appetite and cravings. Now is the time to find an active alternative to eating.
Stress-reducing activities (e.g. meditation and yoga) or a bloody good hobby help reduce emotional eating. It’s a case of keeping your brain active and not allowing your hands to wander close to the littlest light in the kitchen.
Simple and repetitive is the best way to go – it could be as easy as making a new playlist. Just be mindful in your selection if the stress is break-up related… if it helps, you were too good for them anyway!
THE TRIGGER: social hunger
Friendship often means joyfully eating and drinking together. But no one wants to be a killjoy, especially when you team up to relax.
TREATMENT: Like a credit card on a night out, you know alcohol lowers inhibitions wonderfully, creating some bloody brilliant stories (if not the wisest of life decisions).
So, instead of drinking water, have you ever considered a mocktail? A higher water intake and, although the sugar content can be high, this often reduces the speed of consumption.
The alcohol-free intake helps the stomach to feel fuller, making that inevitable 11pm pizza stop easy to avoid as well. This means you’ll wake up to fat and calorie savings alongside the smug sense of self-satisfaction.
THE TRIGGER: taste hunger
You’re not hungry… until the dessert menu is passed around. Could you possibly find the room? There is that secret 40-year-old stomach compartment built just for these special moments.
TREATMENT: Put some spice into the mains to help fight the feeling of needing the third course. If you’re keeping yourself in shape, the nutritional options can be pretty bland for the most part. Add cayenne pepper and ginger wherever possible for a double win. They add a little bang to even the most mundane foods and have appetite-suppressing effects.
That said, if you really want dessert, we say just eat it. There’s no point removing the little joys in life wherever you find them. Just keep going. Remember that your healthy balance is a marathon, not a sprint.
DR DRAGON
A GP for an eclectic community, Dr Dragon is a prolific author in the world of health. Award-winning for his content creation and ability to answer the actual questions asked of him, his theories are always worth listening to for those looking for the little things that can make a real difference in our lives.
