Emotional hunger, why do we eat when we have anxiety?

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Is it a coincidence that many of us go to the fridge when we have anxiety?

If we were to sleep at least we would keep our mouths shut, but the truth is that it happens exactly the other way around.

.

That is why, among other things, when we have anxiety we find it difficult to fall asleep.

We have a pilot light on.

Why when we have anxiety we feel hungry?

There is a

.

To begin with we have two hormones that govern our instincts with food.

Simplifying, it all depends on two ladies,

.

Leptin

is the satiety hormone

When we have been eating for a while, some compounds are released that send the signal to the brain to "stop and don't eat anymore".

On the contrary,

is another lady that is released when we need to eat and sends the hunger signal.

This occurs, for example, when it lowers blood glucose and sends the signal that our reserves are running out.

Ghrelin, to remind us mnemonic, makes the stomach growl.

What do leptin and ghrelin have to do with anxiety?

Specifically ,

has a lot to say.

This hormone, which is produced in the stomach and transported through the blood, also

Could we say that it is Mrs. Ghrelin's fault that she gives us food?

Watch out!

Here everyone must assume their part and

is not responsible for everything.

But

the stimulus on hunger intensifies, and the desire to eat increases.

Is there a way to inhibit ghrelin?

Has the "little antighrelin pill" been invented yet?

That would be wonderful but the reality is that it

.

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, in addition to emotional states, they influence:

- The palatability of the food,

that is, how much pleasure its consumption brings.

If your body tells you to eat but you only have boiled broccoli at home, it probably won't work.

- The size of the portions.

Using small but full plates facilitates the feeling of satiety.

-

The more you have to offer, like at a breakfast buffet, the easier it will be to mess it up.

-

: availability and publicity.

- Social occasions

(such as meetings with friends) invite us to eat more.

Is one factor more important than another related to satisfaction with eating?

Although you are not going to like the answer very much, palatability,

is, is probably the factor most closely related to satisfaction.

It is very difficult to measure because it responds to psychological questions.

As if all this were not enough,

is activated in the brain

.

There are studies that have found a direct link between exposure to "palatable" foods with altered appetite and excessive food intake.

Eight tricks to act on our brain before eating

The good news is that, although we know that we do not only eat out of hunger and that

we can also act on some of these signals to our benefit.

For example, in cognitive signals, in everything that surrounds the previous intake of food.

- Improve the "gastronomic" experience:

the taste is not only captured by the tongue, but the aroma, sound and color also help to build it.

I return to broccoli: if instead of eating it boiled, which by itself tells us nothing, we make a broccoli-based pizza, it still contributes to better satiety.

Or think of kale chips.

If instead of taking the raw kale, we roast it in the oven, the experience will be better.

- Calculate portions:

when we eat snacks directly from the bag we are not aware of what we eat and we feel less satisfied.

Even if it is a handful of nuts, we must visualize what is eaten, without becoming obsessed.

This is also important when defrosting food (by portions) or serving dishes (do not bring the dish to the table).

- Size and weight matter:

in addition to the typical resource of using smaller plate sizes, using heavier containers or containers has helped satiety in some studies, more than using light supports.

- Be aware of what you eat:

when eating snacks or portions, it is advisable to leave the wrappers or plates on the table to know what we have eaten.

If we pick up every two minutes it's like we just started over.

- In the variety is the taste... and calories:

repeating a flavor in several dishes makes us eat less: If we eat potato chips but we only have one type, we eat less than if we have five different snacks to "dirty".

This goes very much in line with the appetizers.

Let's not put 6 different appetizers, because we eat all of them and more.

- Textures:

chewing helps to release peptides (substances that will generate satiety).

There is evidence that beverages, liquids, are less satiating than solids.

"Relieve hunger" with a soft drink or any sugary drink (juice) is not correct.

- Viscosity:

there are studies where it has been seen that viscous textures, such as the one obtained with porridge or oatmeal, improve satiety.

- Satiating foods:

foods rich in protein and fiber are more satiating than those rich in fat.

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