Nutritionist Explains Why It Is Important To "Eat When You Are Hungry"

Binging while watching our favourite films or while we are stressing about something seems normal. In fact, while attending a party or taking a flight, we often stuff ourselves with those irresistible decadent dishes. But do you know we are only supposed to eat when you are hungry? Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee recently shared a video, wherein she explains when we are supposed to indulge in a meal. The nutritionist elaborates on how "overeating has become a national pastime."

The Instagram clip begins with Anjali Mukerjee saying, "Eating throughout the day is such a normal thing to do in today's day and age. It is such an expected thing to do because there is so much food available to us all the time that it appears shocking to suggest that there is value in suggesting just the opposite."

She also elaborates how people in today's scenario are gorging on food just out of habit. She says, "Today people eat even when they are not hungry. They eat out of habit. They eat when they are stressed. They eat because they have a certain craving because food is served to them, let's say they are in an aircraft, but they are not hungry. People are eating all the time. Overeating has become a national pastime."

Anjali Mukerjee explains that people must leave it on their body to give them the signals that now they are hungry, before snacking on food. She says, "The simple truth that everyone needs to know is to eat when hungry. Your body knows best when you need to be fed. You need to experience hunger. Because when you experience hunger, your body upregulates autophagy."

While detailing what happens to your body when you are hungry, Anjali Mukerjee says, "Autophagy is nothing but self-cleaning. Your body expresses those genes which bring about cleansing or autophagy, which means the body eats up its own dead and damaged cells. It eats up all the damaged proteins, releases a lot of energy and starts the cleansing process."

She adds, "So normally if you put a gap of four to five to maximum 6 hours between meals, you will experience hunger. And therefore the autophagy would also begin. Other ways of beginning the autophagy process is, of course, intermittent fasting, which works well in order to rejuvenate the entire system."

Sharing the clip, she wrote, "Eat when you are hungry because-your body knows best when it is hungry. Therefore, eat when hungry (which means do not eat when not hungry). Eat up to 3/4 of your capacity, not up to full capacity (which means stay one-fourth hungry, as this helps in improved digestion, enhanced mental function, and increased energy)."

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