The science of hunger.

[anotherlife]

Hunger is powerful, even used as a weapon. As in tribal warfare or as in hunger strike, amongst others. But how does hunger work? Why is it that hungry people would even eat bugs and dirt, whilst at other times can do hunger strike and starve themselves. What is the difference between the two? That in one hunger is unbearable and in the other it is a choice?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Actually, yeah. Being so dedicated to an ideal CAN cause people to go against their own survival instinct, meaning they will starve themselves to death.

People who aren't driven by ideals but rather forced into hunger because of various situations still have their survival instinct intact because they haven't repressed it, meaning that when they get hungry enough they will seek out anything to keep them alive.

 

[MarathonMike]

Hunger is a natural defense mechanism triggered by your nervous system telling your brain "Hey, I'm consuming muscle here! Need some food!" Hunger strikers through mental control and their dedication to a cause can suppress the bodies' hunger signals and refuse food. They are two different things.

 

[yiostheoy]

Hunger is powerful, even used as a weapon. As in tribal warfare or as in hunger strike, amongst others. But how does hunger work? Why is it that hungry people would even eat bugs and dirt, whilst at other times can do hunger strike and starve themselves. What is the difference between the two? That in one hunger is unbearable and in the other it is a choice?

Why do you ask ??

Are you expecting a Malthusian disaster sometime soon ??

 

[yiostheoy]

There will always be lots of food around as long as there is overpopulation.

Just look around.

It's all on two hoofs and stands upright.

 

[IceNine]

The physical sensation of the hunger itself probably feels the same, whether you choose to be hungry or not, but in the case that you choose to do it, you must probably think of yourself as unimportant compared to the greater good (as defined by you), as "expendable." That goes against your survival instinct, which is programmed to look out for your own survival (also for a greater good: the survival of your whole species). So I think it must take a lot of mental strength to get to the point where you can do something as extreme as starve yourself to death. There are also other situations where people let themselves go hungry, but to a much lesser degree, e.g. when trying to lose weight. The fact that it is so uncomfortable to make your body adjust to a lesser food intake is one reason why a lot of diets fail. The motive is high (better health, beach body, etc.), but hard to do, because your will alone does not have anywhere near as much power as your survival instinct.

 

[waltky]

'There is no food insecurity in the world, there is food ignorance'...

'Forgotten' crops could feed the planet
[i]22 August 2018 - Just four crops - wheat, maize, rice and soybean - provide two-thirds of the world’s food supply. But scientists in Malaysia are trying to change that by reviving crops that have been relegated to the sidelines.[/i]

[quote]
On a small fruit farm near the Straits of Malacca Lim Kok Ann is down to just one tree growing kedondong, a crunchy, tart berry that Malaysians mostly use in pickles and salads. “It’s not very well-known,” says the 45-year-old, who is instead focusing on longan berries and pineapples, which have bigger markets. For a smallholder like Lim, demand for kedondong would have to grow rapidly to justify scaling up his business. “We have to grow what is profitable,” he says. But less than an hour away in the Malaysian countryside, inside three giant, sleek and silver domes, scientists are trying to change the future of food. They’re pushing the boundaries of what humans eat by growing and processing so-called ‘alternative’ crops – such as kedondong.

At the headquarters of global research centre Crops For the Future (CFF) this particular under-used fruit has been turned into an effervescent, sugar-free juice, high in vitamin C and getting top marks in sensory evaluations. “Anything you see here is a forgotten crop,” says Sayed Azam-Ali of the abundant plants weaving through the gardens of CFF outside Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. Spindly moringa trees, cream-coloured bambara groundnuts, the sour kedondong berry – these are crops which have been farmed for centuries but are virtually unknown outside the places where they grow. Even here, demand is dwindling. They’ve been relegated to the sidelines, says CFF head Azam-Ali, in favour of the “big four”.

Prof Azam-Ali explains that just four crops – wheat, maize, rice and soybean – provide two-thirds of the world’s food supply. “We’re dependent on these four,” he says. “But actually there’s 7,000 crops we’ve been farming for thousands of years. We ignore all of those.” Researchers are trying to unlock the potential of these ignored crops – plants they describe as forgotten, under-used or ‘alternative’ as they are displaced by increasingly uniform diets fuelled by processed ingredients from the major crops. It’s a timely quest. The food sector is already responsible for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. By 2050 it estimates the world must produce 50% more food to feed the projected global population of 10 billion. Meeting this demand without contributing to climate change, further eroding biodiversity and causing yet more damage to ecosystems calls for urgent solutions.

Forgotten crops hold key answers, according to CFF. By investing in neglected local plants, countries can reduce their reliance on imported crops and their carbon-heavy supply chains. Reclaiming the variety of crops humans once ate also boosts food security at a time warming climates threaten existing crops. On top of that forgotten crops are among the most climate-resilient and nutritious, argues Azam-Ali. His summary is plain: “Dietary diversification is critical to the future of humanity.” Food security experts agree. “There is no food insecurity in the world, there is food ignorance,” says Cecilia Tortajada, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Water Policy at the National University of Singapore. “Whenever we have indigenous crops we tend to disregard them as if they were not valuable but they are,” she adds.

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