Third SIN - H’Anger - It's Gonna Get Ugly

Many things can trigger anger but anger can also trigger false hunger or H'ANGER. We read and hear about are you hungry or hangry? I usually get 'hangry' because I am overly hungry, I probably didn't plan properly to eat at the right times or I ate some non-nutritional snack that did not satiate me at all! Normally I will blame 100% of my H'Anger on my husband who can go all day without eating and then consume 4000 calories and not gain an ounce. Granted my eating habits have changed over the past 5 years - but when I do feel the need to eat: I NEED to eat! Denying me substance will ignite a personality trainwreck - I turn mean! There is no denying it, I can fight it for a bit but eventually you will need to back off or buy me lunch. It is not a good state to be in, it never leads to responsible choices and most of time I find myself inhaling my food without enjoying one mouthful.

The whole situation can lead to indigestion, self sabotage and maybe even thoughts of more... you guessed it... anger. Between grunting at everyone in sight and feasting on all carbs in sight, 'hanger' can make you lose all sense of self-control.

Usually munching out of anger is like eating to spite ourselves. Instead we should be eating to nourish ourselves and make food choices we actually enjoy. This is possible to achieve, it takes a little mind training and time but we must find a way to feed our bellies and satisfy our minds at the same time. It is so hard to be rational when you are hungry, as it turns out our hormones are also upping the ante. As our blood sugar drops too low, our brain sends signals to our 'bod' to start releasing more glucose into the bloodstream. Then a whole serious of things start, adrenaline kicks in, that's the fight-or-flight hormone, and also cortisol (the stress hormone), this all means we might feel anxious and stressed out even if there is nothing externally happening to makes us feel this way. So the hanger melodrama begins!! Watch out Cookie Monster you have a new friend because you cannot STOP thinking about food....and I know that I would eat things that I didn't even like just because they were there. We've all been there...stale crackers, expired protein bar at the bottom of your purse...or the worse thing, you go ... Grocery Shopping NEVER A GOOD DECISION Asides from tearing into it in the car your wallet might feel hunger pains too. A study has shown that we are more likely to buy more items and therefore spend more when we're hungry. I don't think they needed a study to prove that, any adult woman could have just told them that, no survey required!

I wish there was a magic solution to H'anger, but the simplest one is EAT something, preferably well balanced and planning snacks ahead is the KEY to all of this. Having planned snacks sounds like something you do for toddlers but IT WORKS....and I am all for what works. I want my handy work to payoff, I want my snacks containing protein + fibre + healthy fats because that = Stay Full Powerhouse. If I can't combine all three I aim for 2 out 3 but avoid ultra-processed items and foods loaded with artificial this and that. Here are just a of my favourites:

• air popped popcorn

• homemade yogurt bark

• roasted chickpeas (lots of ways to season)

• hard boiled eggs

• hummus and grainy crackers

• frozen grapes rolled in sugar free jell-o

• sliced apples with spicy mustard or PB2 (peanut butter powder - great substitute for regular high calorie peanut butter)

• avocado on multi-grain toast

• banana oat bite cookies

• laughing cow cheese with celery

There are plenty of others if you are inclined to get a little creative, surf the net and especially PLAN AHEAD. Name of the game is planning. I am not a planner by default, actually I leave that game to my highly organized sisters but when it came to this ProjectME, I had to start embracing a new skill set! Persistently turning into a food-driven-troll kind of spurred me to learn the art of the plan, and it was worth every moment spent!