Instinctive Hunger – Nature’s Compass

Evolutionary Foundations of Hunger

Wrangham, R. W. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Basic Books.
Explores how cooking and dietary changes influenced hunger instincts in early humans.

Speakman, J. R. (2014). “If body fatness is under physiological regulation, then how come we have an obesity epidemic?” Physiology, 29(2), 88–98.
Examines evolutionary hunger and satiety mechanisms, exploring how they became disrupted due to dietary and lifestyle changes.

Sensory Mechanisms in Food Selection

Ventura, A. K., & Worobey, J. (2013). “Early influences on the development of food preferences.” Current Biology, 23(9), R401–R408.
Examines how sensory and environmental experiences during infancy shape the development of lifelong food preferences, hunger mechanisms, and eating behaviours.

Jacob, S., & McClintock, M. K. (2000). “Psychological state and mood effects of steroidal chemosignals in women and men.” Hormones and Behavior, 37(1), 57–78.
Explores how olfactory cues (smells) influence dietary choices, mood, and social interactions, highlighting evolutionary adaptations in sensory-driven decision-making.

Ventura, A. K., & Worobey, J. (2013). “Early influences on the development of food preferences.” Current Biology, 23(9), R401–R408.
Examines how sensory and environmental experiences during infancy shape lifelong food preferences, hunger mechanisms, and eating behaviours.

Dominy, N. J., & Lucas, P. W. (2001). “Ecological importance of trichromatic vision to primates.” Nature, 410(6826), 363–366.
Examines how primates evolved trichromatic vision to identify ripe fruits, highlighting the role of visual cues in shaping hunger responses, food preferences, and dietary selection.

The Gut-Brain Axis and Hunger Regulation

Mayer, E. A. (2016). The Mind-Gut Connection. Harper Wave.
Explores how the gut-brain axis regulates hunger and satiety through neural and hormonal pathways.

Frost, G., Sleeth, M. L., Sahuri-Arisoylu, M., et al. (2014). “The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism.” Nature Communications, 5, 3611.
Explores how microbial metabolites, specifically acetate (a short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria fermenting dietary fibre), influence central hunger and satiety mechanisms, regulating appetite and energy intake.

Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). “Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701–712.
Examines the interaction between gut microbiota and the central nervous system, emphasising microbial influence on hunger regulation and satiety signals via vagal nerve pathways.

Modern Disruptions of Hunger Instincts

Moss, M. (2013). Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House.
Investigates how modern processed foods manipulate hunger and satiety mechanisms.

Steele, E. M., Baraldi, L. G., Louzada, M. L., et al. (2016). “Ultra-processed foods and health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Public Health Nutrition, 19(11), 1784–1794.
Highlights the role of ultra-processed foods in overriding natural hunger cues.

Ludwig, D. S. (2002). “The glycemic index: Physiological mechanisms relating to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.” JAMA, 287(18), 2414–2423.
Explores how refined carbohydrates contribute to metabolic dysregulation by causing rapid blood sugar fluctuations, which disrupt hunger regulation and increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Hunger as an Evolutionary Survival Mechanism

Eaton, S. B., & Konner, M. (1985). “Paleolithic nutrition: A consideration of its nature and current implications.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 312(5), 283–289.
Explores how hunger evolved as a survival mechanism to regulate energy intake, ensuring sufficient caloric consumption in alignment with the dietary patterns of early humans.

Dominy, N. J., & Lucas, P. W. (2001). “Ecological importance of trichromatic vision to primates.” Nature, 410(6826), 363–366.
Investigates the evolutionary advantage of trichromatic vision in primates, highlighting its role in identifying energy-dense foods such as ripe fruits, which shaped hunger instincts and foraging behaviour.

Rozin, P., & Fallon, A. E. (1987). “A perspective on disgust.” Psychological Review, 94(1), 23–41.
Examines the evolutionary role of disgust as a protective mechanism, highlighting how sensory aversions developed to prevent the consumption of harmful or toxic foods.

Modern Mismatches in Hunger Regulation

Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Hamady, M., et al. (2007). “The human microbiome project: Exploring the microbial part of ourselves.” Nature, 449(7164), 804–810.
Discusses the composition and function of the human microbiome, highlighting how modern diets disrupt gut microbial balance, influencing hunger regulation and satiety mechanisms.

Ventura, A. K. & Worobey, J. (2013). “Early influences on the development of food preferences.” Current Biology.
Highlights how early exposure to processed foods alters natural hunger instincts.

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain.” Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Demonstrates how ultra-processed foods override natural satiety signals, leading to increased calorie intake and weight gain by disrupting hunger regulation mechanisms.

Natural Repulsion to Decay and Flesh

Curtis, V., & Biran, A. (2001). “Dirt, disgust, and disease: Is hygiene in our genes?” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 44(1), 17–31.
Explores the evolutionary basis of disgust as an adaptive mechanism designed to protect against harmful pathogens by discouraging contact with contaminated substances and environments.

Rozin, P., & Fallon, A. E. (1987). “A perspective on disgust.” Psychological Review, 94(1), 23–41.
Examines the sensory-driven mechanisms underlying disgust, highlighting its evolutionary role in preventing the consumption of decayed or harmful foods to reduce the risk of illness.

Bogin, B. (1997). “Evolutionary hypotheses for human eating behaviours.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 104(S25), 59–89.
Explores how sensory-driven aversions to decayed or toxic foods evolved as protective mechanisms, enhancing survival by reducing the risk of poisoning and infection.

Hunger in the Context of Modern Health

Ludwig, D. S. (2002). “The glycemic index: Physiological mechanisms relating to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.” JAMA, 287(18), 2414–2423.
Explores how modern diets high in refined carbohydrates disrupt hunger regulation, leading to metabolic dysregulation, increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease.

Katz, D. L., Meller, S., Battista, R., et al. (2014). “Can we say what diet is best for health?” Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 83–103.
Discusses the interplay of diet, hunger regulation, and energy balance, emphasizing how modern dietary patterns contribute to metabolic disorders and chronic health challenges.

Hall, K. D., & Guo, J. (2017). “Obesity energetics: Body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition.” Gastroenterology, 152(7), 1718–1727.
Examines how dietary composition influences hunger regulation and energy balance, highlighting the role of macronutrient intake in metabolic adaptation and weight management.

Restoring Natural Hunger Cues

Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., et al. (2019). “Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445.
Highlights how fibre-rich diets support the restoration of natural hunger and satiety mechanisms by promoting stable blood sugar levels, sustained energy release, and gut microbiome balance.

Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Hamady, M., et al. (2007). “The human microbiome project: Exploring the microbial part of ourselves.” Nature, 449(7164), 804–810.
Examines the role of dietary fibre in gut health, highlighting its influence on microbial balance and the regulation of instinctive hunger through microbiota-driven metabolic signalling.

Fung, J. (2016). The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Greystone Books.
Explores strategies for overcoming hunger dysregulation and restoring natural satiety signals.