Thinking Makes You Hungry

There were researches that shows mental work induces an increase in appetite. The research team measured a the spontaneous food intake of 14 student correspondents after each of three tasks: relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, and completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer. And it shows a relative increase in the calorie intake.

This must be the reason why some people tend to eat more when feeling stressed or after a hard day mental work. Here are some reasons why people feel hungrier:

• Seeing food, which makes your body anticipate eating.
• Time of day. Your body is conditioned to eat at certain times.
• Drinking alcohol, which can impair your judgment and make you eat more than normal.
• Eating refined carbs, which generates a rapid rise in blood sugar, followed by a subsequent “crash” that makes you want more food.Portion size. Studies show that the larger the portion, the more you’ll eat.
• Eating too fast, which allows you to consume more food before your body has a chance to let you know it’s full (it takes about 20 minutes for this to happen, so you should wait at least 20 minutes before going back for seconds).
• Not sleeping enough, triggers hormone imbalances that boost your desire to eat.
  

And by knowing that appetite can be stimulated by mental work it doesn’t mean that it is not good and you will just ignore it. If you feel hungry, listen to your body and eat something that will satisfy it. But you must keep in mind to eat just the right amount and eat something that is nutritious and healthy.

Here are some food suggestions from Dr. Mercola’s Natural Health Articles that are known to nourish your brain:

• Organic eggs
• Leafy vegetables like spinach
• Seeds and nuts (especially walnuts)
• Organic grass-fed beef and chicken
• Green tea
• Omega-3 fats (like krill oil)