There are 3 small problems in the body, you may be fine if you are hungry 

Modern people are given many chances to eat adequately, however, the state of hunger is still quite rare. Actually, the feeling of hunger in a proper way is good for the body.

01. Starve appropriately to relieve 3 diseases

the following minor physical problems can be solved by “hungry”——

■ Certain minor stomach ailments

When you are experiencing a feeling of fullness in the stomach and pain after a meal, it is a signal from your stomach “which does not want you to eat anymore”. Eat less in this case. Keep a little hunger, the feeling of fullness in the stomach and stomach pain will go away by themselves. If you reduce your food intake and your stomach discomfort is not relieved, you should see a doctor without delay.

■ Occasional insomnia

Human body has a low metabolic rate at night, if you overeat and force the gastrointestinal tract to do “overtime” it will directly impact the quality of sleep, which can cause insomnia, dreams, light sleep, nightmares, etc. Over time, it can make people lethargic, dizzy, and even cause memory loss, neurasthenia, etc.

People who have sleeping problems are advised to control the dinner portion and, what is more, they should control the meal time, not too early or too late. It is best not to eat at least two hours before going to bed.

■ Exceeding weight

Here hunger does not mean not eating, but rather controlling the amount of three meals, one meal is seven or eight times full, and you can still use some tips to reduce your food intake, for example, changing to small plates and bowls to eat, chewing slowly, etc.

02. Moderate hunger helps repair the body

Several domestic and foreign studies have confirmed the health benefits that come as a surprise when one maintains proper hunger.

■ Regulates the immune system

A research which was conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Manchester in the UK and published later indicates that the brain’s experience of hunger can substantially affect the change of immune cells in the body periphery. This is a process that is independent of whether the body is really short of energy – That is, just “felling hungry” is sufficient to bring about the immune system modification.

■ Retard aging

Research by Columbia University in the US suggested that a 25% reduction in calorie intake may slow aging by 2-3% and also reduce the risk of the death by 10-15% in healthy adults.

■ Improve resistance

Research published in the international biological journal Cell Metabolism discovered that suitable starvation is capable of triggering autophagy in body cells which in turn promotes the removal of waste materials from the body. This activity can bring about the revival of the body’s health and thus its resistance level will be enhanced, the occurrence of diseases will lower.

03. Preserving hunger

The key is moderation + collocation

However, less scientifically dietary restrictions do more harm than good. It is suggested that everyone should choose a moderate and long-lasting “hunger-keeping method”. They should know the following 4 key points.

■ Understand the limits of staying hungry

According to recommendations given in “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)”, a healthy, lightly active man needs 2250 kcal per day, and a woman requires about 1800 kcal. If your daily caloric intake is more than what is recommended, then you can bring it down to the recommended level or gently lower the amount by 300～500 kcal as appropriate (intensive mental workers burn a lot of energy and thus their intake should not be reduced significantly), step-wise is the best way.

Blindly reducing energy intake is not good for people aged over 60 years, infants and young children, adolescents, and children, pregnant women, and other such groups.

• The elderly have a weaker digestive and absorptive system, and a long-term, overly restrictive diet may cause muscle loss, malnutrition, etc;
• Infants, young children, and adolescents are at the growth and development stage and their energy requirements are high. An overly restrictive diet will not only stunt their growth and development, but it will also have several other negative effects;
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers need energy for fetal development and milk secretion. Thus, not only should they not put an excessive restriction on their diet, but they should also increase their nutrition proportionately.

The elderly have a weaker digestive and absorptive system, and a long-term, overly restrictive diet may cause muscle loss, malnutrition, etc;

Infants, young children, and adolescents are at the growth and development stage and their energy requirements are high. An overly restrictive diet will not only stunt their growth and development, but it will also have several other negative effects;

Pregnant women and lactating mothers need energy for fetal development and milk secretion. Thus, not only should they not put an excessive restriction on their diet, but they should also increase their nutrition proportionately.

Moreover, dietary restriction in diabetics may bring about hypoglycemia and thus should be done cautiously and only under the guidance of a physician or nutritionist if necessary.

■ Choosing food correctly and matching it properly

Definitely if your aim is to “maintain moderate hunger without being unbearable or malnourished, you must” Choose foods which are rich in protein and dietary fiber , Not only does this increase satiety and delay the time of hunger, but also normalizes blood sugar and blood lipids and keeps muscles and immunity at their proper levels.

In addition, vegetables like oats, boiled corn, sweet potato pumpkin, etc. can be used to partially replace 1/3～1/2 of polished rice and white flour staple food, and then protein-rich foods such as light braised beef tendon, steamed/boiled fish and shrimp, eggs, milk yogurt, low-salt dried tofu, nuts along with fresh fruits and vegetables can be added to the diet.

Small portions and healthier snacks are good too: each meal should fill only seven or eight cents of the stomach, pick sugar-free yogurt, fruit or low-salt and low-oil konjac products as a snack between meals, which can support you in resisting “hunger” quite well.

Chewing food slowly Although it is a cliché, it can really reduce food intake ——the human brain starts to receive the “full” signal after eating for 15 minutes. If you eat too fast it is very likely that you will “stuff” a lot without even realizing it.

■ Distinguish “greedy” from “hungry”

Most of the time we eat only because we are greedy not hungry, thus we need to gradually install an external brain “reminder”. Every time we want to eat, we remind ourselves to check our sanity for 2～3 seconds. Decide the reason- is it hunger or craving.

Furthermore, Keep a regular diet and a peaceful mood Are other useful measures to fight eating caused by craving or negative emotions. Fixing in three meals and mood is the solution. Besides, proper exercise can also regulate a strong appetite which is not only good for the release of endorphins that elevate your mood but also the “sense of control” that exercising gives you makes you trust yourself more and be more disciplined.

■ “Keep hungry” programs vary from person to person

You do not need to follow mechanically some “stay hungry” programs. The time and degree of staying “hungry” have to be chosen by you according to your diet and exercise habits, daily routine, etc. In case your body is reacting uncomfortably, you should change your plan immediately.

If for instance not eating after lunch makes you feel uncomfortable, then keep three meals and regularly + eat 10% less at each meal; if intermittent fasting at 5:2 is difficult for you to follow, then try eating 1/3～1/4 less at dinner every day, the best is moderate and suitable for you is the best.