Are you really hungry, or is it just your thirst talking?
Far too often we misinterpret feelings of thirst as hunger pangs, according to Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (2006, Bantam). The result: We hit the fridge when we really should be wetting our whistles with some good ol' fashioned H2O, aka water, and here tap water will very well suffice. There is NO need to use bottled water which, all too often, is nothing but repackaged tap water anyway.
Our body - as a system - may not actually know as to whether we are hungry or just plain thirsty. Once you actually feel thirsty that is when you have dehydrated too much, which in the wrong situation could be fatal. It might be best, therefore, to have a nice glass of water before we start attacking the fridge or order that pizza.
Michael Smith (Veshengro), January 2008
Drink Up Before You Snack
