Last time I talked about the dangers of being in a grocery store with an empty stomach—the poor food choices are real, friend! But on top of that, being hungry in general is truly a detrimental place to be. You’ve probably heard the “HALT” acronym that is referred to in many recovery programs and mental health circles. HALT reminds us to literally “halt” in times of stress and assess what triggers we may be experiencing that are elevating our feelings of discomfort. Are we Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? The counseling world has long recognized that being in these states can elevate our chances for poor or irrational decision making.
A few years ago Snickers candy bar kicked off its ad, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” I’m definitely not advocating Snickers as a nutritional solution to being famished, but I definitely think it’s interesting that even the Mars candy company knows the science that in hunger our blood sugar drops affecting our mood and decision-making skills (how nice of them to capitalize on that!). When hungry, we’re liable to say and do things we wouldn’t normally. The key is to keep ourselves from thoughtlessly drifting into the hunger zone. Therefore, you’ve got to prepare so that you don’t. How?
1. Have a Plan. Make sure you have an idea at the start of every day when and what your meals will be. At a basic level, have an idea of the proteins, plants and healthy fats you need. For those of you who are more advanced, you’ll be able to plan meals a few days in advance and know exactly what you’re eating (I can do this about 50% of the time myself).
2. Have a Back-Up Plan. The key to success to always have a back-up plan. Do our military forces charge in with no plan B in case their initial strategy doesn’t work out? No. You shouldn’t charge in anywhere either without a safety net. It just makes sense. Take a typical scenario: You had a date to meet your friend for lunch where you were going to order a salad with a protein, but now she’s running late and your meal will be delayed by half an hour. Your stomach is growling! That’s when you fortify with Plan B.
I always have a stash of items in my car that are my go-to grabs in such situations. They’re just enough to keep me from crossing over into the dangerous not-smart-decision-making-hungry-me. This keeps me from ordering a deep fried appetizer when my friend finally arrives and I order that salad just like I’d planned. Whew!
So find some good healthy snacks you can stash in your car, your purse, gym bag or work bag so that you’ve got your Back-up Plan in place. Then, make your daily plan and you’re set!
