Eating when you’re not hungry can lead to health concerns such as obesity, but what if your body is hungry and you just don’t know it? According to consultant nutritionist and dietician Afrah Karmale, who holds a B.H Sc degree in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics, ‘When we are hungry, a lot of us seek refuge in the quick ready-to-eat foods. It’s easy, convenient and time saving but no matter how much we fill ourselves with such foods, the body remains hungry. By hungry, I mean “starving of vital nutrients”. When you eat to satisfy your hunger and yet fail to provide the right nutrition to your body, this state of the body with poor nutritional profile is called hidden hunger or in more scientific terms, micronutrient deficiency.’
Karmale explains, ‘Personal food choices, cooking practices and individual lifestyles influence or aggravate symptoms of hidden hunger. We may not eat less (although the caloric content may be higher than necessary in one meal), but we often don’t eat right. We need a meal that has all the much-required nutrients and is not just high in carbohydrate, protein or fat. Don’t think that micronutrient deficiency is just a problem affecting the lower economic sections, where people get less nutrition due to poverty and scarcity of food. It is fast becoming a problem in higher economic sections of the society as well, where though people are eating well in terms of quantity, they are not doing so qualitatively.’
But how can you tell if you suffer from hidden hunger? ‘Deficiency of micronutrients like iron manifest as low haemoglobin levels in the body leading to fatigue, low blood pressure, low immunity, hair fall or greying of hair,’ Karmale comments. ‘Women are most likely to suffer from deficiency of iron due to menstrual periods, pregnancy, child birth and lactation since the requirement of iron is high during these stages and little is done to supplement it. Iron is vital in forming haemoglobin in the blood and helps to supply oxygen throughout the cells of the body. Deficiency of vitamins such a vitamin A may cause poor vision, skin allergies and infections. It could also make you prone to allergies.’
Karmale adds, ‘Calcium deficiency can result in weak or brittle bones leading to fractures, since it is vital to bone health. Iodine is a much needed factor in regulating metabolism and mental coordination and lack of it can cause difficulty in concentration or forgetfulness, loss of appetite and interest in life. Folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency causes birth defects or abnormalities and improper haemoglobin synthesis. Though only traces of zinc are required in the body, deficiency of even that can cause improper brain and nervous coordination. If you find any of above symptoms familiar, get a hair mineral analysis test done. It gives you an overview of your body’s nutrient needs and indicates which minerals to pay attention to. It also detects possible hormonal problems.’ But how can you avoid succumbing to hidden hunger in the first place?
1. Eat Fruit: You should ‘have two to three servings of a variety of fruits, daily,’ says Karmale. You should make up the rest of your five-a-day with vegetables.
2. Cook Right: Karmale recommends, ‘Opt for recipes that require baking, steaming and grilling rather than frying, deep frying or over cooking [some nutrients are heat sensitive] to preserve the nutrients in food.’
3. Get Creative: Karmale advises, ‘Be open to a range of dishes or cuisines and not just your all time favourites to broaden the range of nutrients you consume.’
4. Snack Smartly: ‘Snack on a handful dry fruits such as almonds and walnuts and flaxseeds,’ Karmale suggests. ‘Rather than munching on high-calorie fast foods.’
5. Get Extra Vitamins in Your Diet: ‘Choose fortified foods [ones that have added minerals to enhance the nutritional value of the product] over the non-fortified ones, when shopping for packaged foods,’ Karmale instructs. ‘Remember, not all packaged foods are bad and the fortified variety give you an added advantage.’
6. Get Extra Vitamins Elsewhere: Karmale directs, ‘Take vitamin supplements under the supervision of your doctor.’
7. Hydrate: ‘Drink loads of water in the day to provide your body a tool to move the vitamins around,’ Karmale details.
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