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Heisshunger

Hanna Grimm / hwJanuary 22, 2013

Ever felt the sudden urge to reach for the cookie jar?

https://p.dw.com/p/17Okr
Child holding an ice cream
Image: aboikis/Fotolia

You're out walking the dog, working at your desk or reading a good book. And then, out of nowhere, hunger strikes and all you can think about is the food you're so desperately craving.

Heisshunger - literally, "hot hunger" - is a sudden increase in appetite, the colloquial way of saying you're craving a certain snack. Be it a donut, chocolate bar or a cheese-filled baguette, in our moments of weakness most of us reach for some calorific delight or other.

Many women experience Heisshunger during pregnancy, like a sudden craving for chocolate cookies topped with pickles in the early hours of the morning. The advantage for pregnant women is that have an excuse for their Heisshunger attacks - unlike the rest of us!