Food Swings: If I had a cookie

Thank goodness someone has finally realized that hunger levels impact our moods!

A new vocabulary has evolved around victual despair, with the afflicted referring to their nasty moods as "food swings." Those who say their hunger frequently morphs into anger describe themselves as "hangry." And the word "hunger" itself seems to have taken on new meaning. No longer merely a physiological state, it is now also thought of as a mood. "We certainly hear it enough," said Dr. Edward Saltzman, a nutrition scientist, referring to the increasing chatter about food swings. "I think it's a pretty legitimate phenomenon. It's not an excuse for ill-tempered behavior, but certainly hunger does affect mood." (...) "It's a conscious thing that I think about," Ms. Yarbrough said. "It can ruin a day or an experience if food is not available to me."

I so enjoy the phrase /victual despair/, especially on World AIDS Day, when we learn from the BBC that average life expectancy in Malawi is 37. Be cranky about that, if you must.