Nutrition and Diet Specialist Cansu Arslan gave information about hedonic hunger and emphasized that eating should be at regular hours.
Sivas Medicana Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Cansu Arslan made explanations about “Hedonic hunger”, which is expressed as the desire to consume food only because of its flavor by stimulating the metabolism, independent of the person's calorie needs. Stating that the increase in the use of technology and digital media has increased people's hedonic hunger levels, Arslan said, “Hedonic hunger is the hunger associated with the increase in appetite due to the taste, smell and other sensory properties of food without biological need and the pleasure received while consuming food. Expressing this hunger with the sentence “I am full but I eat” will make it clearer. Today, the increase in recipes and place recommendations on social media, food programs on television, and orders placed quickly on the internet trigger hedonic hunger. In order to reduce this effect, one should take precautions in the first place. The first steps can be to ensure that the social media pages we follow are not dominated by food content, to decide not to order food after a certain time, and to ask ourselves the question “Am I really hungry?”. Considering the effects of hedonic hunger on health, developing health policies on social media posts and food programs may be further steps.”
“Emotional eating is at the forefront”
Stating that hunger is generally divided into two processes, homeostatic hunger and hedonic hunger, Arslan said: “When our body gets hungry, when we see delicious foods, the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens in the brain is stimulated. And our appetite increases and we want to eat. We can talk about two types of hunger: 'Homeostatic Hunger' is the hunger we feel to meet our energy needs during the day, which is the hunger we all know, and 'Hedonic Hunger' is the hunger we feel for the pleasure provided by the consumption of foods we find delicious without the need for energy. The best example of this hunger is that we easily consume our favorite desserts after a meal even though we are full. In one case, it is a metabolic need for energy, while in the other, an emotional eating is at the forefront. Easy accessibility to high-calorie and delicious foods and large portions create what we call an obesogenic environment, that is, an environment with a high risk of obesity. With the consumption of such foods, obesity and diseases caused by obesity may increase due to high salt, sugar and fat intake. On the other hand, higher hedonic hunger was observed in obese individuals compared to non-obese individuals. In other words, while hedonic hunger is more common in obese individuals, the risk of obesity increases in individuals who experience hedonic hunger because they consume more than they need. This two-way situation shows us that obesity and hedonic hunger should be evaluated together.”
“Let's try not to make the sentence “I am full but I eat”
Stating that there should be set meal times, Arslan said: “Pleasant snacks should not be easily accessible at home or at work. Let's always ask ourselves the question “Am I really hungry?”. We may be thirsty, let's not forget this feeling. Let's try not to make the sentence “I am full but I eat”. Let's not visit the kitchen often. Wandering too much in shopping malls or places where there are too many restaurants may cause you to eat and drink something by whetting your appetite even if you are full. Spend limited time in these areas. Do not go shopping hungry. Vitamin-mineral deficiencies can cause cravings for any food. Cravings for pungent flavors such as chocolate, red meat, cheese and sweets are often linked to an underlying vitamin-mineral deficiency. Let's not neglect our routine blood counts. If we are not feeling well, we should seek expert support. Let's not try to suppress our emotions with food. Let's not look at food accounts on social media after a certain time. A good sleep pattern makes it easier to manage our appetite, so let's practice this. Let's take care not to eat more than we need, without wasting, just to experience the feeling of pleasure. Thus, we both learn to provide this self-control and get through this process without having weight problems.”
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