Are You Hungry?

It is important to recognize the difference between being hungry or if you’re just eating because you simply like the taste it gives you. This desire to eat for pleasure instead of being hungry is called Hedonic Hunger. Hedonic Hunger is when a person eats for a desired taste and pleasure in the absence of an energy deficit. The pleasure triggers the body's reward system and this causes many people to overeat as they simply just can't get enough. If you're guilty of a little Hedonic eating from time to time, below are a few ways to improve your will power to stop the temptation.

Here are seven ways, how you can put a halt to those cravings:

1. Drink Water: Sometimes we mistake hunger as result of just being thirsty. To stop a craving, you should drink a full glass of water. This will quench your thirst and will dramatically reduce your cravings. Even setting daily water goals is very helpful in ensuring your body is properly hydrated and this will reduce the need to eat a lot.

2. Chew Gum: Having a piece of gum will keep you away from trying to eat your favorite food. As the chewing will keep you distracted and you'll be less likely to overeat. Opting for sugar-free gum is a healthier option to stay away from unnecessary added sugar. The benefits of eating gum is that it can stop your cravings, improve your memory, freshen your breath and even help you to lose weight.

3. Find a Distraction: It can be tempting at times to eat out of boredom, especially when you're at home, sitting at your work desk or lounging around. That's why you need to focus your mind on finding something to do. You can call your friend to go for a walk to get active, pick up a book, movie, hobby or find a project to work on that will keep you focused and invested into. Whatever you choose to use to divert your focus from food will help you get closer to achieving your own goals.

4. Think About Negative Effects: To all the overthinkers out there, thinking about the negative effects and impact overeating will have on your body. Think about how you'll have to work twice as hard to burn it off, think about how your current appearance is and how you may want to look even better for your future self. Thinking about the negative effects first can help deter you away from over indulging and eating unhealthy food.

5. Eat Healthy: If you really want to eat food try increasing your produce consumption in your diet. Having more fruits and vegetables will keep you full for a longer period of time, it'll be lower in calories, which will help curb your appetite and provide the proper nutrients your body needs.

6. Take Only Three Bites Rule: If you really want to eat food (especially if its unhealthy), you can implement the three-bite rule. Where you take three proper bites into the piece of food and then put your fork/spoon down. The three bites allows you just enough to satisfy your taste buds and then leave the temptation behind to go on about your day.

7. Engage in Self-Talk: Try talking to yourself and tell yourself mentally, “I can have this whenever I want, but I don't need to have this now." This strengthens your will power to stop giving into your cravings and focus on what you really need to accomplish.

Eating for pleasure, rather than for hunger activates the body's reward system in the brain. When the body's reward system is activated, it can give the signal to keep eating more and more of the pleasurable food, even when your body does not need it. It is important to be aware of hedonic hunger, because it can lead people unintentionally down the path to overeating, overspending and even obesity. So next time you want to eat ask yourself, are you hungry?