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Food For Thought
I’ve had this conversation with a few different people at this point, so I thought I’d get a wider sampling here: when you don’t eat for a while, do you find that your thoughts get (A) more focused and sharper, or (B) more jumbled and confused?
Now I’m not talking about like days and days without food, cause I’ve never actually done that. I am more talking about, if you don’t eat your first meal of the day until dinner time or something, are you still able to hold it together? The answer to this question will probably have a lot to do with what kind of activity you do during the day, of course, and the physicality of it all.
The reason I ask is that I am trying to find out if there is a gender relationship to the answers that people give to this question. So far, the males who I have talked to have said that their mental activity tends to become sharper without food (maybe that’s why they call it “fasting” - it makes your brain go faster?), while the females I’ve had this conversation with tend to say the opposite. Is there any greater truth to these trends and what do you think could be the source of this difference (if there really is one)?
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August 28th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Well, I am a man ’sono uomo’. During Lent I would fast on Friday and meditate upon Jesus on the cross. I have to say the meditation was very rejuventating and I felt more clean and spacious. During the meditation the image of Christ was very clear.
So I would say yes- my mind would feel more sharp without eating for longer durations.
August 28th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I would say my senses sharpen when I go a day without food. My mind tends to quiet and I become much more “in body.” At about three days I get very removed from, well, everything…mind and body and “outside” reality. I’ve never gone more than four days without food, but at four days my energy is abysmal and I don’t have any desire to do anything but zone out. Its interesting that at this point my mind is going ninety to nothin in mad circles, just looping tape. I’m betting that this is some sort of plateau, but haven’t had the time (or desire) to test this out…
I remember reading something in a evolutionary psych book that a lack of food tends to sharpen the senses so that a person can hunt more effectively. Now this may be bullshit, but it might explain why men feel more focused while women have the opposite experience.
I’m definitely interested in seeing what other people say…
Ronin
August 28th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
Hm, I often think about the relationship between food and various cognitive functions. My father and I share an unusual susceptibility to getting in foul moods because of low blood sugar. I’ve lost track of the number of times we’ve had a bitter argument, only to witness our differences evaporate after we put some food in our bellies. We’re gradually becoming more proactive about this.
But food isn’t the only factor. I can sometimes push all day without food, in high spirits, if the conditions are pleasant.
As for clarity of mind, I do seem to have gained the impression during the past few years that eating too early in the morning makes me lethargic. But I recall this as more a physical, rather than mental, lethargy. On a typical workday I wake up around 5:45 a.m., brew a strong cup of coffee, and savor it along with a few cigarettes. This “breakfast of champions” tends to give me plenty of energy. I don’t eat anything until 10:00 a.m., and then just a single pb&j sandwich. The coffee and nicotine are, without a doubt, the biggest contributors to whatever clarity and focus I possess in the morning.
I do know that eating too much at one time makes me sleepy, so I tend to snack most of the day, and try not to eat a large dinner.
But, yeah, I’m rambling a bit, but I do think I have more of a mental “edge” if I refrain from eating first thing in the morning. I’m not exactly sure at which point this edge vanishes, and lack of food begins to deteriorate my dangerous brain powers. Eventually I start to lose it, but I might just be getting bored during the middle of the day.
I’ve also noticed that lack of sleep can sometimes give me a boost. It’s as if I don’t have enough mental energy to maintain my usual neurotic thought patterns, so I just kind of cruise along, having all types of cool thoughts.
August 28th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
I become stupid, cranky, and irritable when I don’t eat. My body/mind is very sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
p.s. I am a girl.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
im a woman
I definately feel sharper and more focused after skipping a few meals. My body actually feels worse after I eat. I feel like im being slowed down. I have a tremendous amount of energy If I havent eaten breakfast or lunch. I usually eat right before bed, because it makes me sleepy. I hear thats a bad thing….but I dont have a weight problem and it works for me.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
I’m curious, maggie. Do you drink coffee or smoke? If so, how often?
August 29th, 2006 at 12:44 am
Alwec, my husband is just the same way…he can be an unbearable *&$ until he gets fed, and then he’s back to normal.
I have the opposite problem…most food makes me spacey, especxially carbs, even the whole sort. If I’m doing any difficult writing or on a long project, I don’t eat at all, or I eat very lightly- vegetables, tea, etc. Party food gives me a hangover worse than alcohol and it can take days to get over.
August 29th, 2006 at 12:57 am
No I dont smoke but I drink coffee.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:03 am
Jennifer…that sounds like me! And my husband is also the same way. Its soooo annoying! He reacts to food like my children do. Cant give him too much sugar….cant go for long periods of time without food cause he gets cranky. Why do our men turn into our children after marriage???? I DONT LIKE IT!!!!!
Alec
-ALOT OF COFFEE! Like 4 strong mugs a day. Esspresso strong! I used to smoke- I quit because it didnt do anything for me anymore- started making me feel bad instead of good you know?
August 29th, 2006 at 6:20 am
I don’t notice any loss or gain in mental acuity, but I become a whole lot crankier when I’m hungry or tired.
August 29th, 2006 at 9:37 am
female - and I become confused and cranky if I go too long w/o food. I’ve been told it’s a “sugar thing.” My x figured it out before I did - he was the one who pointed out the connection - when I got too spacy and emotional he knew it was time to get some food into me!
Interesting question, interesting idea that it may be (to some degree) gender based.
August 29th, 2006 at 9:40 am
I have to eat through out the day or I’ll start to go on shut down. Between blood sugar and thryroid problems keeping a steady input of energy sources into my system keeps me going.
Now, if I don’t eat a meal on occasion because I’m busy I don’t know if I get any mental clarity, but I do get the job done. Of course, after a couple of hours I get to be cranky and have to eat as I’ll start to get tired as well.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
blood sugar levels are triggered by sugar, coffee and carbs. there are some pretty good nutritional things folks can do who are suffering from severe reactions like hangovers from food. mostly involve no sugar or white carbs.
I’ve struggled with hypoglycemia and get effin stupid if I dont eat and utterly incapable of doing my afternoon cardio. but I try to not eat lots of white food or sugar. so that helps me level out. wonder what makes some more susceptable to low blood sugar problems? could just be genetic.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
When I don’t eat for a while, I get more focused, and calm. But if i’m knocked out of that focus, i’m a cranky demon-monkey. That usually negates the good done, so i eat 3, square meals a day, with several round snacks thrown in.
August 30th, 2006 at 9:58 am
I’m a man who loves a regualr meal schedule, but I do find I think clearer when I engage in a fast…
My fiancee, however, is the polar opposite… if she doesn’t eat, she goes off her rocker: very irritable & scatter-brained. Her sensitivity to blood sugar levels can be prove to be a near-fatal scenario for me if it coincides with a particular recurrent monthly event.
Needless to say, I make sure she is well-fed.
BTW, for those coffee drinkers out there who think they can get an extra jolt from a shot of espresso… its my understanding that espresso actually has less caffeine than a regular cup o’ joe… it just has a more robust flavor. Of course, multiple espresso shots add up. Back when all-nighters were a design school necessity, I found that Skittles & Mountain Dew did the job, tho I cringe at the very thought today…
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:58 pm
[…] I’ve had this conversation with a few different people at this point, so I thought I’d get a wider sampling here: when you don’t eat for a while, do you find that your thoughts get (A) more focused and sharper, or (B) more jumbled and confused? […]