16/10/2026
How Many of You Truly Get “Hangry” When
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You Haven’t Eaten?
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We all love food, and we all need it to function properly.
Our daily energy requirements vary considerably depending on age, body size, metabolism, s*x and, importantly, our level of physical activity. As a broad reference, around 2,000 calories per day for women and 2,500 for men is often used as a general population guideline — but individual requirements can be considerably higher or lower.
In a survival situation, however, it is very unlikely that you’ll be meeting your normal caloric requirements.
There is an important difference between eating enough to keep your body alive and eating enough to keep it healthy and functioning optimally. During an emergency, your priority becomes finding safe, usable sources of energy and nutrients.
If you're in a survival situation, you should make use of whatever food is available provided you can positively identify it as safe to eat.
Never gamble with an unidentified plant, mushroom or other food source.
Because everyone's requirements are different, it's worth knowing your own approximate energy needs before heading into the outdoors.
There are many lightweight options available, and high-energy nutrition bars can be particularly useful because they pack easily, require no preparation and can be eaten while on the move.
¿What Happens When We Undereat?
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Our brains control an enormous number of physiological processes, including metabolism, heart function, temperature regulation, digestion and hormones.
Starvation isn't simply a lack of calories. Prolonged inadequate food intake can also mean deficiencies in protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals — all of which are important for normal physiological and cognitive function.
Our bodies have energy reserves, including stored glycogen and body fat. When food becomes scarce, the body begins adapting to conserve energy. The extent and speed of these changes vary between individuals and depend on factors such as body composition, activity, temperature and how long food intake has been inadequate.
Some effects can include:
●Feeling cold
●Fatigue and weakness
●Reduced concentration
●Slower digestion
●Constipation
●Changes in mood
●Reduced physical performance
●Difficulty making decisions
In a survival situation, these aren't merely uncomfortable symptoms. They can directly affect your ability to think, move, make decisions and solve problems.
And that can be dangerous.
📌 Hypoglycaemia — Low Blood Glucose-
When we eat carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. Insulin helps transport glucose into cells where it can be used for energy, while excess glucose can be stored as glycogen, particularly in the liver and muscles.
Between meals, the body maintains blood glucose partly by releasing stored glycogen. As fasting continues and glycogen stores become depleted, the body increasingly relies on other fuel sources and produces glucose through processes such as gluconeogenesis.
The brain normally relies heavily on glucose, although during prolonged fasting it can increasingly use ketones produced from fat.
If blood glucose falls too low, symptoms can include:
●Hunger
●Shaking or trembling
●Sweating
●Weakness
●Anxiety or irritability
●Dizziness
●Difficulty concentrating
●Confusion
●Palpitations
In severe cases, loss of consciousness or seizures.
In a survival situation, impaired concentration and decision-making can be just as serious as physical weakness.
📌 Decreased Thermoregulation-
Your body needs energy to maintain its core temperature.
When you're exposed to cold, your body increases heat production through mechanisms such as shivering and metabolic activity. If you are inadequately nourished, exhausted or already losing body heat to the environment, maintaining your core temperature becomes increasingly difficult.
Being cold, wet, hungry and exhausted is a particularly dangerous combination.
The last thing you need when fighting the elements is for your own body to have fewer resources available to produce heat.
📌 Skin and Tissue Health-
Inadequate nutrition can affect the skin and the body's ability to repair and maintain tissues.
A prolonged lack of essential nutrients, including certain vitamins, minerals, protein and essential fats, can contribute to poorer skin integrity and impaired wound healing.
In the outdoors, damaged skin, blisters, cuts and burns can quickly become significant problems — particularly when you're already cold, tired or dehydrated.
📌 Changes in Mood and Mental Performance-
Your state of mind is incredibly important in a survival situation.
Inadequate nutrition can contribute to irritability, low mood, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. While depression has many possible causes and cannot simply be attributed to poor nutrition, inadequate nutrition can certainly affect mood, energy and cognitive performance.
Keeping your head "in the game" is vital.
A survival situation already places considerable psychological demands on you. Add hunger, exhaustion, cold and dehydration, and your ability to make rational decisions can deteriorate.
📌 Constipation-
Eating very little can also affect your digestive system.
With less food entering the digestive tract — particularly less fibre and fluid — bowel movements may become less frequent and stools may become harder and more difficult to pass.
Constipation can be uncomfortable and, when severe or prolonged, can become a significant medical problem.
However, it's important not to assume that constipation from simply eating less will automatically lead to bowel perforation. Bowel perforation is a serious medical emergency with several possible causes and requires urgent medical attention.
🔥 The Survival Lesson-
Food isn't simply about stopping yourself from feeling hungry.
●Food is fuel.
●Fuel for your muscles.
●Fuel for your brain.
●Fuel for keeping warm.
●Fuel for making decisions.
●Fuel for maintaining the countless processes that keep your body alive.
In a survival situation, your priorities should include shelter, fire, water, food and maintaining your physical and mental condition.
The better prepared you are before an emergency occurs, the less likely you are to find yourself desperately searching for calories when your energy reserves are already running low.
●Learn before you need it.
●Prepare before you need it.
●Practise before you need it.
Because when the situation changes, knowledge, preparation and experience can make all the difference.
— Chris Jordan
