The Science Behind “Hangry”
What Limiting Our Food Intake Does To Our Brain
Han-gry [hang-guh-ree]
adjective
- bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
“I get very hangry if I miss a meal.”
(I looked it up, and it isn’t actually a word in the dictionary, only just a search on Google)
Almost everyone, if not everyone, knows what this word means. We’ve all experienced some degree of hangriness in our lives at some point. Whether forgetting to eat lunch at work, feeling too lazy to cook at home, or simply going a long time between meals, life can sometimes get in the way of eating, and more seemingly important things come before food. But there are also moments where people deliberately skip meals or chances to eat food, which can occur for various reasons, such as attempting to lose weight, unstable relationships with food, social influences (friends aren’t eating either), trying new diets, or making conscious choices about healthy eating habits.
For all reasons, we still end up feeling hangry. We feel more emotional, maybe sometimes depressed, our irritability increases, feelings of lethargy come up, we withdraw socially and isolate ourselves, and our concentration and decision-making skills abilities are decreased. When we skip a meal or go a long time between meals, we probably experience a mild form of these symptoms.
But why do we feel these things, what happens in our body that makes our limited food intake come out in such unpleasant feelings and emotions?
Get Talia Daneshrad’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Whenever we don’t eat or limit our food intake, it does much more than shed a couple of pounds. The brain's functioning is highly compromised when we starve our bodies of food.
In the 1900s, a study called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment was conducted to determine the psychological and physiological effects that severe and prolonged dietary or food restriction had on our bodies.
Although this study couldn’t take place now due to ethical reasons, many vital takeaways came from this experiment. The subjects experienced pro-longed semi-starvation, which led to an increase in depression, hysteria, and hypochondriasis (illness anxiety disorder where people have an unrealistic fear that they have a serious medical condition or fear they’re at high risk of becoming ill). Many participants also experienced symptoms of severe emotional distress and consistently grew more irritable. Overall, this experiment shows that when we don’t eat enough food (whether purposeful or not), it can severely affect our brain and how we function in our everyday lives.
Furthermore, depriving ourselves of food for extended periods can lead to brain damage, which may or may not be reversible.
Under-eating triggers intense food cravings that consume your thoughts, making it challenging to resist unhealthy choices. A lack of nourishment impairs your ability to make healthy food choices. Feeling starved, your brain drives you to eat anything available, often leading to indulgence in sugary and carb-rich foods. Research indicates that hunger promotes a preference for carbohydrates and sweets as a means to replenish energy. Persistent food cravings can be so distracting that they hinder productivity, potentially jeopardizing tasks like driving or walking due to diminished focus.
While weight loss goals and diets may motivate calorie reduction, extreme dieting or prolonged meal-skipping deprives the brain of essential nutrients, posing long-term risks. Avoid prolonged meal skipping to prevent your body from entering starvation mode, adversely affecting your brain health. Opt for balanced, nutrient-rich food patterns to maintain well-being without compromising essential nourishment.
Research information comes from:
Kaplan, Bonnie, PhD. “Starvation: What Does It Do to the Brain? — Mad in America.” Mad in America, 29 May 2013, www.madinamerica.com/2013/05/starvation-what-does-it-do-to-the-brain/?fbclid=IwAR3kmR1VlvLKfh0M84Pud12dM8sglOaG3EYDBwU0Ezn7Ykjw5ixh85NruS4.
Mental Health and Nutrition Course | edX. UCx PSY01ucX. Chapter 1. Mental Health and Nutrition: Why Now? 1.5 Is exploring the role diet has in mental health.
Issue 59 I the Starved Brain — Can What We Eat Determine How We Think? nedc.com.au/eating-disorder-resources/find-resources/show/issue-59-i-the-starved-brain-can-what-we-eat-determine-how-we-think/#:~:text=We know that brain activity,for Clinical Interventions%2C 2018a).
Follow my Instagram to learn more!
