Hunger strikes at 4 PM. You need some food to hold you over before dinner, but you are in class, at work, trying to eat less, or 
__________. By the time you get home you are ravenous and you may fill yourself to more than a comfortable level at dinner.
The above senario is common for two reasons. We are a busy society on the go (a little planning can help this group fuel on the go!), and many diet commercials tell us that “hunger” is a bad thing or we need to avoid it. First, don’t listen to the commercials! Nothing could be farther from the truth. As humans, it is normal to feel hungry. Hunger means that our bodies need fuel or energy. Second, remember that hunger, especially fueling ourselves when we are hungry, means sustaining life (and your metabolism).
Sometimes our meals will hold us over until the next meal, but other times our bodies will tell us it needs a snack. If you carry snacks with you, you will be prepared either way! Try to carry portable snacks (including protein or fat and some carbohydrate) with you so you can get some quick energy no matter where you are. Think Larabars, KIND bars, a fruit with peanut butter, vegetables and cheese, or my homemade fruit and nut bar (recipe will be the next post). This way, when your body tells you it needs fuel, you can honor it. By honoring our hunger, we can often times prevent our desire to overeat when we are over-hungry.
Do you carry snacks with you for when hunger strikes? Do you have any good snack recipes? Please share them with us in the comments! And stay tuned for a yummy fruit and nut bar recipe…
This post is by Janet Zimmerman, a University of Memphis Nutrition Student and Schilling Nutrition Therapy, LLC Intern. You can follow Janet on Twitter as well at http://twitter.com/JanetZimmerman
