If you are irritable after skipping breakfast, or your mood goes haywire an hour before dinner, you’ll know that being hungry can affect your emotions. Here we examine the science behind being ‘hangry’, and why how you feel often depends on what you eat

We’ve all seen the Snickers advert with the tagline: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” While it’s a lighthearted take at feeling ravenous, it turns out that the science behind hunger impacting your mood is actually pretty solid. And there’s plenty of reasons why being hungry can actually affect your mood, and even your relationships.

A study of married couples found that anger towards spouses was greater when glucose levels were lowest, which is when we feel hungriest. But how exactly does hunger impact our mood and, more importantly, what can we do about it?

Let’s start by talking about why it happens. Whatever we eat (whether that’s a full English breakfast or a superfood smoothie) is digested into helpful things like amino acids and sugars, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream and used around the body for all sorts of functions to help keep us alive. A few hours later, our blood sugar level drops, and that’s what makes you feel hungry.

This is actually a really useful cycle, but if we’re rushed off our feet, or don’t have food close to hand, then other changes start to kick in to remind us that we need to start eating again. That’s when our fight-or-flight mechanism gets going, thanks to a big adrenaline boost, making us feel emotions such as anger, anxiety, or a general sense of stress and panic.

This was ideal in caveman times, when we needed a signal to hunt, but less useful nowadays if you’re in the middle of an important work meeting, and suddenly feel rage.

If you’re not eating, your brain wants to boost blood sugar, so it sends signals to other parts of your body to release more hormones to help. These include our stress hormones, which also trigger perceived ‘negative’ emotions like stress or anger.

Nutritionist VJ Hamilton explains: “When blood sugar gets low, which may happen when you haven’t eaten for a while, it triggers several hormones to be released in the body, including adrenaline linked to the fight-or-flight response, and cortisol, known as the stress hormone. These hormones are released to bring blood sugar back into balance, but both adrenaline and cortisol can affect mood and cause aggression in some people.”

There’s plenty of research to show that being hungry can make you feel more negative: research on university students found people who were hungry reported more unpleasant emotions – such as feeling stressed, or even hateful – and had a more negative attitude to the researchers in the study.

If you’re not eating enough throughout the day, this can cause physical symptoms, too. “Often people feel tired and develop headaches if their blood sugar regulation is not in check, especially if they develop a couple of hours after eating. You may also feel hungry and crave sugary foods,” says VJ.

Of course, it’s worth m

Does eating healthy foods really have to break the bank? Or can you still make healthy, nutritious, balanced meals on a budget?

When you hear the phrase ‘healthy foods’, what comes to mind? Leafy greens, well-balanced plates, or eye-watering price tags? According to new research from yfood, 41% of us Brits associate healthy food with unaffordable prices.

With the cost of food (and the cost of living) still firmly on the rise, it’s no wonder nearly half (47%) of us have turned to social media to find recipes. What better way to find fun, healthy, affordable recipes than seeing what others are already making? However, this has led to further confusion around what is and isn’t actually healthy to eat.

Previous research has shown that almost half of Brits have ‘no idea’ what they should be eating, while 49% of us don’t understand what a ‘correct’ portion size looks like. It’s no wonder that a third of adults don’t eat fruit each week, while nearly half (46%) consume no vegetables at all on a weekly basis.

Just a fifth of us cook meals from scratch – and, even then, we are only doing it up to twice a week. Yet home cooking is filled with benefits: it’s often healthier as you know exactly what is going into your food, it can be a fun activity to do together with friends and family, and it’s cheaper than eating out or ready meals. For many, it can even be a mindful form of self-care.

Here, we share seven quick tips to help you get started.

Quick wins for a healthier, affordable, balanced diet

Our average food bill is set to rise by £380 in 2022. For those of us on a budget, that seems like an insurmountable rise. But there are ways you can make small changes to help you save money without sacrificing food quality, variety, or nutritional benefits.

1. Planning is key

It can be tempting to just pick up what you need for a single meal on your way home each night, but planning ahead and doing a single ‘big shop’ can be more cost-effective. If you can, think ahead and plan out a week’s worth of meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This not only helps you to avoid impulse purchases when you’re at the tills multiple times each week, but can help you to plan around your ingredients, instead of just what you fancy (or what’s got a reduced sticker but may not be that healthy).

Angelika Cutuk-Short, MSc Nutritionist, shares her Read more