Good Question: Why do we get hangry?
MINNEAPOLIS — They are two feelings that just seem to go hand-in-hand: hunger and anger. But why do we get hangry?
It's is a relatively new word — the Oxford English Dictionary made it official in 2015.
But's it's a feeling most of us have always known.
For Dr. Ann Kearns, it's a lived experience and a scientific one.
The longtime Mayo Clinic physician is now an endocrinologist at the Hennepin County Medical Center.
She says it's complicated, "Oh, it's a question if it's a solely biological thing or a learned behavior, and that's the $60,000 question. There is something about food and appetite that effects our behavior that we don't completely understand but is it real — yes, is it related to a specific hormone profile, that's a little harder to sort out."
What about the phrase people often say, "my blood sugar is low"? She explains, "Yeah, probably not. Is it a pathological drop into the medically defined hypoglycemia range, not usually."
She says every parent knows it's a real thing, but the "why" is questionable, "Whether that's true or a learned behavior, learned association, right babies cry when they are hungry, does that mean they are hangry I don't know."
If you are hangry and need a quick fix, she suggests granola, nuts, fruits, peanut butter and crackers. "Just like Mom always said, eat some protein. Mom is right."
Dr. Kearns say food is directly related to our moods, and the cleaner the food we eat, the better we feel.
She says a mix of proteins, carbs and fats makes for more stable energy.