I'm Hungry

So what, right? Well, it is sort of a big deal to this old girl. Being one who tends to use food as a drug, we don't always wait until there is physical feeling of hunger before eating. Instead emotional hunger gets our attention and calls out for food. Unfortunately, the satisfaction gained from this form of self medication is that the satisfaction is very short lived and is accompanied by regret.

This morning I am physically hungry. Dinner was intentionally small last night. This morning I am certainly not ravenously hungry, but I am physically hungry. I am talking about stomach growling with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach...not my head saying, "Hey, I could go for a bagel about now." My body is calling for nourishment, not my emotions. This is a step in the right direction to be sure.

In our American culture there is a huge portion of the population that has not felt true stomach hunger in years. We have so much and we indulge ourselves so much that we are never allowed to get to the point that we are really physically hungry. The interesting thing is that when we are not physically hungry when we eat, what we do eat ends up being less flavorful and less satiating than if we had waited to eat until we are physically hungry. Also, if what we have been feeding our emotional hunger with is "junk food" or full of empty carbohydrates, we will be much less attracted to healthy, nutrient-rich food even when we are physically hungry.

So, I am celebrating the fact that I am hungry right now. The next step is a bit trickier...choosing a food that is available on a moments notice and also healthy. I am here at work and thankfully I have a stash of that devilishly good Laughing Cow cheese and a small piece of fruit. That will be an excellent choice for a mid morning 100 calorie (total) boost to get me through to lunch time without being unnecessarily tempted by the M & M jar.