Hunger vs. Thirst

So the question for today is this . . . are you really "Hungry" or just "Thirsty"???

Well . . . guess what???

A lot of the symptoms are the same for both "hunger" and "thirst".

When we're dehydrated . . . you can also feel tired, have grumbling in the stomach or light headedness . . . just like when you're hungry.

And the same part of the brain is responsible for interpreting both "hunger" and "thirst" signals, which can often result in mixed messages if "lectin" are present.

So really . . . this snacking thing that most Americans do . . . is really just a "thirst" thing and we just don't know it.

The human body needs to eat a meal every 3 to 4 hours and if you feel hungry between meals . . . you most likely are just dehydrated. Not really hunger.

Right there . . . we just eliminated a bunch of calories by not eating snacks.

According to the recent report from Mintel, Snacking Motivations and Attitudes U.S. . . . nearly all Americans (94%) snack at least once a day. And snacking has become the "new American pastime" . . . especially with this pandemic.

So how often do you snack???

Well . . . the truth is . . . most people confuse "thirst" and "hunger'. And clinical studies have shown that people mistake the signs and signals all the time.

Do you have dry skin????

Well . . . this is a signal you are dehydrated. Some other symptoms are headaches, fatigue, lightheadedness and difficulty concentrating.

Okay . . . so how can keeping "hydrated" help with our losing weight???

Well . . . water can help to take up space in the stomach, leading to a feeling of fullness and reducing hunger. And drinking a glass of water before reaching for something to eat can help curb unnecessary snacking. Again . . . helping to cut the calories and lose weight.

Another problem we have . . . is unfortunately, the ability to sense "thirst" decreases as we get older . . . making it important for people over 60 to "hydrate" even if you don't feel "thirsty".

Dehydration contribute to reduced enzyme activity and slower "metabolic" processes.

You see . . . water is needed to break down "fats" into fatty acids, polysaccharides into monosaccharide and glucose and protein into amino acids . . . so we can utilize this process for energy to burn calories and our fat.

So moral to this story is . . . when you think you're hungry and it's not a meal time . . .

Think twice . . . and ask yourself . . . are you really "hungry" or are you just "thirsty"?

And grab a glass of water . . . instead of a calories fulling snack.

As always, feel free to contact me here