I would venture to says that at some point in your life you have been hangry. Hangry means you are hungry and cranky! Maybe you got stuck somewhere causing you to delay or miss a meal or your previous meal didn’t keep you full for as long as you thought it would. Either way, as a result you feel angry with the situation, the people around you and the entire world!!
Being hangry is a good indication that you are experiencing a dip in blood sugar and your body is telling you that you need food….NOW! If this is happening to you daily, then you are in a constant state on dysregulated blood sugar. It doesn’t just make you unpleasant to be around in those moments because of the effect it has on your mood and energy, it also stresses out your body leading to long-term health issues. Uneven blood sugar puts stress on the pancreases as it works overtime to produces enough insulin to keep you going, your adrenal glands weaken, and your liver struggles to create glucose for easy use. As these organs weaken, the are many health issues that can arise including diabetes, weight gain, hormonal and infertility issues, and brain issues like general brain fog and Alzheimer’s.
So, what can you do if you are find yourself hangry too often?? Well for starters, you can ditch the processed foods full of sugar and refined carbs from your meals and begin to focus on whole foods. Fill your plate with veggies, meat, fats and some dense carbs…in that order. Switching to eating this way will turn you into a fat burner, instead of a sugar burner.
If being a fat or sugar burner is a new to you let me explain….
Our metabolism is designed to be fueled by fat and glucose, but primarily fat. By fat I mean both the fat that you are eating and the fat that is stored on your body. Eating fat is like putting a log on a fire, it burns a long time. And it will keep you full and satisfied for a long time. When you are a fat burner, you can easily tap into stored fat when you need it throughout the day. When you can do this, you’ll have stable energy between meals, you won’t experience a mid-morning or mid-afternoon slump that causes you to reach for another cup of coffee or sweet treat. You can go long periods of time without having to eat Yeah, you might get hungry, but it won’t be that “I have to eat RIGHT NOW!!” feeling because your body switched over to burn our stored fat. Doesn’t that sound liberating?! I think I does!
Being a sugar burner feels completely different….and I know that is doesn’t feel near has great as a being a fat burner. If your body is dependent on sugar and carbs for fuel, then you must refuel with them often. Sugar and carbs are like putting kindling on the fire, they burn quick! Leaving you hangry if you do not have something on hand to eat. Sugar burners have less stable energy, experience strong hunger and cravings for carbs because they are unable to tap into stored fat for energy. This also makes it difficult to lose weight.
It is entirely possible to switch your body over to a fat burning machine instead of a sugar burner. It requires dietary changes such as including proper fats in each meal, finding your ideal daily carb amount, including lots of real, nutrient-dense food and removing the refined sugar and carbs from your diet. You will want to turn to real food source of dense carbs, such as beets, potatoes, fresh fruit or plantains, just to name a few. These foods also contain vitamin, minerals and fiber, unlike processed carbs.
Another strategy to use is to always eat your carbs with a good amount of fat. So, have an apple as a snack but have a handful of nuts or a couple tablespoons of nut butter too. Have a baked potato at dinner and top it with butter. And I do mean butter, not margarine!! (You make read more about that here.) Having some fat with your dense carb will slow down digestion so that you do not experience a large spike in blood sugar.
You can begin to make these changes on your own. Or if you wish to dig deeper and see changes a little more quickly, you can take on a 21 Day Sugar Detox! Head here to learn about the coaching group I am offering in September if you want to have extra support during your detox.
