What is Emotional Hunger? What Other Hungers Does the Body Have?
Shawn T. McIntyre is a living example of how to transform your body naturally. The guy who has muscles practically bursting out of his shirt had faced and overcome some very tough challenges. In part one of my conversation with Shawn, I learned all about his journey from unfit to unbelievable. I learned how it is important for us to understand our own bodies to know what food satiates us and what leaves us craving more. In the second part of my podcast with Shawn, he shares some fascinating insights into his process to transform your body and create a level-10 fitness life.
Not just what but also how we eat.
I have always been a proponent of being a mindful eater(though I must admit that I am often found not to be practicing what I preach). Noticing the aroma, look, taste, texture, and mouthfeel of what we eat is vital if we are to find joy and satiety in what we eat. Eating consciously, chewing well, and enjoying food is important. We must avoid the temptation to eat on the go while we scroll through our social media feeds or while busy with work.
Water is the first step to power. It is like a conductor to slow down or speed up the metabolism. – Shawn T. McIntyre
Shawn echoes this view. He emphasizes the importance of being focused on what we eat in order to transform our body. It’s important to be present in the food and the entire process. We have to realize the value and the sacredness of what we eat. He explains the science of this: being focused on the food helps to secrete some of the body’s digestive enzymes and fires up certain vital hormones, which help to transform your body. This helps the natural release of testosterone, the primary hormone responsible for muscle growth.
It helps us create vital energy within ourselves and helps with emotional regulation as well. Our conversation brought to mind an earlier podcast about Forest Bathing(you can check it out here).
Our 10 hungers.
Shawn T. McIntyre has identified ten hungers that the human body experiences. He speaks in detail about the first seven most important bodily hungers. The first is hydration – the first step to power and knowing what foods work for the body. Water is what connects the dots between the organs, our hormones, energy levels, and all physiological processes in the body. It’s essential to transform your body. Water helped to expand his energy and reduced the cravings he was experiencing, says Shawn.
The second hunger is that of nutrient-rich food for the body. A lot of us are consuming a lot of calories – many of us more than we need. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that our bodies receive the nutrition they need. It goes without saying that we should all be eating a wide variety of brightly colored foods. We should also be observing to see how our bodies respond to the food we eat.
Shawn speaks about other types of hunger such as the empty stomach hunger, which could be a result of many of us having stretched stomachs. Then there is emotional hunger, where we could be eating to fill an emotional need and not a physical need. He tells the story of his grandma and her love for slurpees and the family’s fondness for waffle sundaes when he was young. Those memories still bring back cravings for these food items. In the podcast, Shawn also speaks about hunger related to low blood sugar, hunger for variety, and more.
Shawn is the author of the book“Heal the Body, Build the Man” where he talks about healing our inner child. Check out my podcast to learn about Shawn T. McIntyre and his work to transform your body and life. Don’t miss this episode of The Adiel Show if you would like to be informed and inspired in equal measure.
