If you’re hungry right now, you probably shouldn’t be reading this as it might just make it even more unbearable. Unless you’re eating your lunch right now, in which case, buon appetit!

Turns out, there’s a dedicated Instagram page that shares spot-on memes about food, being hungry and all that jazz called I Am Hungry AF (@iamstarvingaf). As a matter of fact, I am now getting hungry too, so excuse me for a moment and scroll on to sate your appetite for memes.

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As mentioned above, I Am Hungry AF (@iamstarvingaf) is an Instagram meme page that posts content about all things food. But not in the traditional sense—no recipes or Instagram shots of the lovely things you’ve had for lunch.

Rather, it’s memes and posts about relatable realizations and concepts and situations that tie in with food, which in turn might make you super hungry. All right, not all things food then, but better! The 335,000 followers can attest to it.

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And, speaking of hunger, it’s a pretty fascinating topic.

It’s normal to think that your body has sensors of sorts that get triggered whenever it experiences a calorie deficit. And calories are used to generate energy by the body. It’s a physiological trigger, or homeostatic.

Now, there’s another way of triggering hunger—and that’s by sheet power of thought.

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You’re probably aware of how seeing a waterfall or a leaky tap might get you triggered whenever you already need to go to the toilet really really badly. Well, it works very similarly how the other hunger trigger—the hedonic one—works.

Merely thinking about food might be enough to give you a sensation of hunger. And what’s worse, it might override that other physiological pathway. This causes food cravings, especially with hyper-palatable foods, even though the body has had its fill.

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So, this explains why these memes might just make you go hungry all of a sudden. Oh, and fast food ads.

Anywho, there are, however, ways to stop thinking about food and fight the urge of indulging in a gravity-enhanced lifestyle. Just remember that there’s more to it than physical attributes—there’s also the mental aspect of it all.

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Start off by acknowledging your relationship with food and understand that it’s individual to you, personal, and complex. Instead of blaming and guilt tripping yourself over food consumption, why and how you think about food.

Then determine if you feel deprived. If you restrict yourself, that might actually work against you and cause even more food cravings. So, aim to eat an amount of calories that you need, rather than less than what is necessary as it might lead to bigger issues. Needless to say, overeating is also not good.

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With that said, it’s OK to continue to enjoy balanced meals and snacks. They have to be nutritious and satisfying as that helps control appetite. A life hack is to consume more protein and fiber-rich foods and whole grains as they help you feel full for longer.

Or fighting the feeling of hunger can be as easy as just drinking more water. Well, OK, not more, but enough. Some folks report that drinking water regularly throughout the day helps suppress hunger and it’s known to lower cravings for those highly palatable foods (especially salty ones).

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But, coming back to identifying your hunger triggers—determine what in particular causes it so you could avoid it. Not seeing it is an obvious one, but also keep an eye on things like stress, boredom, emotions and similar triggers and manage them.

One legit way of managing is simply ignoring them. Seriously, distract yourself with a break, a book or take a walk. The feeling of hunger should pass soon after the body is more or less forced to focus on the things you’re doing.

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And, speaking of walking, exercise plays a key role in overall health, appetite included. Consider dancing or gardening (yep, you can grow more food along the way) as two of many options to not only distract you, but to also manage your internal chemistry to a degree where you’re less triggered by food.

Another thing that might also help is mindful eating—eat slowly, without any distractions, and pay attention to what, how, and why you’re eating. Paying attention to it might teach you to respond more positively to environmental cues that trigger hunger.

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Lastly, if all else fails, there is no shame in asking for help. Seek out dietitians, mental health counselors or even a friend who’d keep you accountable for the stuff you decide to shove down your maw, cake hole, or whatever technical term for nutritional receptacle you prefer to use.

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So, what are your thoughts on any of these? Is there something you just can’t stop eating and you know it’s not good? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!

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