by Chris Shugart
Why Am I Hungry All the Time?
Are certain foods really addictive? Can this so-called addiction be cured? Here's what you need to know.
Dave needs a hit, man. It's been a couple of hours since he's had a fix, and his drug of choice wears off fast. Now he has a headache, he's irritable and moody, lightheaded, and tired. He feels weak and his stomach cramps. Classic withdrawal symptoms.
But Dave isn't withdrawing from the latest street drug; he's withdrawing from food… really crappy food. And the only way to relieve the withdrawal symptoms is to either eat more processed junk food or wait days or even weeks for the addiction to dissipate.
That's the general idea behind food addiction and a concept called toxic hunger, a term popularized by physician Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Are food addictions and toxic hunger real? Let's discuss where Dr. Fuhrman gets it right and where he might be missing part of the equation.
What is Toxic Hunger?
In a recent T Nation Instagram poll, 25% of our followers said they struggle daily with overeating. Could this be due in part to toxic hunger?
Here's the quick-and-dirty version of Dr. Fuhrman's ideas:
- There are different types of hunger. Real hunger means your belly is empty and your body is asking for nourishment. This type of hunger makes us seek out mostly nutrient-dense foods.
- Toxic hunger, on the other hand, isn't really hunger: it's a set of withdrawal symptoms misinterpreted as hunger.
- According to Dr. Fuhrman, when the body isn't digesting food (especially pro-inflammatory foods), it begins to "detoxify" – breaking down and eliminating waste products. He believes the symptoms of toxic hunger are part of this detoxification process.
- To fix this, we must learn to recognize the difference between physiological hunger signals and withdrawal symptoms from poor food choices. Dr. Fuhrman's cure is time and eating a plant-based diet with a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. He's not a full-vegetarian, but his Nutritarian approach leans that direction.
Controversial Topic, Compelling Research
The idea of "food addiction" is controversial. Some experts believe in it; some don't. But it seems that those who don't are mostly arguing semantics.
Numerous studies show that certain foods have what could be called "addictive" qualities, usually processed foods containing all three of the Terrible Trio: sugar, fat, and salt.
The Terrible Trio triggers the release of dopamine, the pleasure/reward neurotransmitter. Eat those foods often and the brain gets accustomed to the dopamine spikes, leading to cravings and dependency. In studies where the Trio was consumed separately, sugar, salt, and fat didn't have such a profound triggering effect.
Also, your body's response to the absence of processed foods can involve changes in blood sugar levels and hormonal fluctuations. The cold-turkey removal of high-sugar foods can cause a drop in blood sugar, for example, causing temporary issues like fatigue and headaches.
Of course, junk food makers know this and reportedly test their products on animals to ensure dependency. If the animals eat until they're satisfied, that new kid's breakfast cereal they're testing is reformulated until the rats eat themselves sick and get hungry again soon after.
This was tested in the lab in 2015. The rats eating normal rodent chow ate until they were full. The rats getting chocolate breakfast cereal binged, then experienced drug-like withdrawal symptoms when the researchers pulled the cereal. The cereal triggered addiction-like responses in their brains, and the same thing happens to humans. The researchers said that combo sugar/fat foods do have addictive properties: certain foods can indeed trigger compulsive eating.
So, yes, removing those types of foods would eventually lead to healthier eating habits. But does it have to be a near-vegan diet? And what about protein and its effects on satiation?
The Missing Protein Piece
Dr. Fuhrman is right about a lot of things, but he may be underestimating protein. Protein is the most filling macro, but it also has a leveraging effect on hunger.
In short, a low-protein diet triggers cravings and overeating. Protein controls your intake of carbs and fats and, therefore, your overall caloric intake. Your body has a protein threshold that must be met every day. If you don't eat enough protein, various bodily mechanisms compel you to keep eating. Studies show that this threshold is between 85 and 138 grams per day, which most Americans don't get.
It's difficult to hit those numbers with the type of diet Dr. Fuhrman recommends. You'd need almost a pound of almonds to reach even the minimum threshold of 85 grams. And that would "cost" you 2700 calories. Of course, the good doc doesn't recommend eating a pound of nuts per day, but he doesn't seem to consider protein either, saying, for example, that a 154-pound person only needs 56 grams daily.
Well, that person would be hungry, even with a nutrient-dense diet of vegetables and whole grains.
The Cure for Toxic Hunger and Overeating
Yes, ditch the highly processed junk food. Yes, eat your veggies, beans, nuts, and oatmeal. But to really control hunger – especially if you're battling food addictions and what we'll call "withdrawal" – eat a high-protein diet.
How high? Based on the protein leverage effect, at least 85 grams daily and more like 138. For lifters and fit folks, shoot for one gram per pound of body weight. Don't worry, any "excess" protein won't be stored as fat. In fact, it's thermogenic. If you're very overweight, choose a realistic ideal weight and eat that many grams daily.
I recommend my Protein First eating strategy: consume two 2-scoop MD Protein (Buy at Amazon) shakes daily. That'll provide 88 grams of convenient, highly filling, fat-burning protein, enough to meet your body's demand threshold and thwart hunger and cravings. The rest is easy to get with regular foods.
A protein-centric strategy, combined with some of Dr. Fuhrman's ideas, should fix any food addictions and incessant hunger issues. Of course, it does take some time and discipline, but at least you won't feel like Dave.
