In August 2017, I came across an infographic by Eric Edmeades on different ways that hunger can present itself. Edmeades listed and described 6 famines.

Because I strive to make nutrition easy for my clients, I wrote a response article, critiquing Edmeades notion of 6 famines and addressing each one.

My article went relatively unnoticed until recently, on 3/30/18, in fact, when Mr. Edmeades sent me a reply online.

I felt as if the answer had been written with a bit of anger, and I replied that I had not tried to tear down his work, but to address some points of confusion and perhaps generate a bit of controversy.

In her response to my 2017 article, Edmeades had focused on one strength of her, regarding one type of hunger. He wrote: “Thirst manifests itself absolutely as hunger.” He referred to the Bushman culture of southern Africa, citing several times that he had gone hunting with them. They did not drink water on the 27-mile journey one day and 17 miles the next, instead stopping to eat. Of course, the food they ate was high in water content, which quenched their thirst.

And I agree with that!

Interestingly, this was a point that my article had never contradicted. He had written: “It makes sense for us to search for food when we are thirsty. In the days when people were searching for food, and the food they ate was high in water content, eating was a way to stay hydrated.” There is no discussion there.

I also wrote: “But the two states are different. Distinguishing thirst from hunger is a learnable skill.” I’ve spent a lot of time helping clients tune in to their body’s thirst and hunger signals, teaching them to distinguish between the two and making them drink more water, rather than always looking for food.

To keep things simple for my clients, I reserve the term “hunger” for hunger for food, rather than using it to refer to thirst or any other need to eat. (As a side note, contemporary American residents don’t always consume foods high in water content, so interpreting thirst as hunger will not automatically lead to hydration. But I digress.)

Happily, Mr. Edmeades and I have communicated on these issues through a couple of written posts, and we seem to have moved to a more friendly and collaborative base.

What is still confusing about hunger?

The ‘genuine hunger’ point still leaves some room (and need) for clarification, within the context of the 6 hunger infographic. When I’m confused, I worry that my clients, who have generally studied nutrition less than I have, are too.

My confusion centers on Hunger # 1, Nutritional Hunger. Edmeades calls this the “only genuine hunger.”

Apparently, this genuine hunger occurs when the body needs specific nutrients. In fact, that seems like a genuinely valid reason to eat.

However, in the infographic, Edmeades never describes how to identify this hunger. How can I help my clients, who may be struggling to identify the feeling of hunger, distinguish it from thirst, appetite, an emotional urge to eat, or a craving when they are all called “hunger”?

With the 6 Hunger approach, you will now have to distinguish Nutritional Hunger from hunger on an empty stomach and hunger for low glucose levels.

Additionally, Edmeades cautions that nutritional hunger isn’t always honestly communicated. However, it does not explain how honest and dishonest feelings differ from nutritional hunger. I’m afraid this will make things even more confusing for my clients and I would definitely like to learn how to communicate this to clients clearly and accurately.

My primary coaching and consulting goal is to help clients respond to food and eat naturally and logically, so they can make informed decisions about when to eat.

I’d love to hear from Eric Edmeades about specific ways I can help my clients do that, particularly those who have been away from a natural response to food for many years.

Can the 6 Hungers concept help my clients instead of confusing them?

Once I learn that it is possible, I will be able to fully embrace the 6 Hungers. In the meantime, I feel the need to avoid customer confusion by using the word “hunger” to describe the physical sensation of hunger only, rather than anything else that might lead them to eat.

Mr. Edmeades, any suggestions or clarification?