- When you’re physically hungry, you’ll likely experience a feeling of emptiness in your stomach, stomach growling, and/or headaches and irritability.
- When you’re emotionally hungry, you may experience intense and sudden cravings when you’re sad, bored, or stressed.
- The best way to know if you’re actually hungry is to do a “self-scan,” where you rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10.
How to Know if You're Hungry
Do a “self-scan” to see if your hunger is physical or psychological. When you feel hunger, it can come from 2 things: physical or emotional cues. Physical hunger occurs when your body sends you physical cues (like a growling stomach) that your body needs food. Psychological hunger is often a symptom of boredom, emotions, or advertisements. Decoding what type of hungry you are can help you determine if you’re actually hungry or not. Before eating a meal or snack, take a minute or 2 to ask yourself these questions: What level of hungry are you on a scale of 1 to 10? Is your stomach growling? Does it feel empty? Do you feel irritable or have a headache? Are you bored? Did you have a stressful day at work? Are you tired?
Do an apple test by thinking about eating an apple. Some believe that the thought of eating an apple can help you determine whether you’re physically or psychologically hungry. More often than not, emotional hunger is a craving or desire for a specific group of foods (like carbs or chocolate cake), whereas physical hunger can be satisfied with just about anything. Try the apple test as follows: Ask yourself if you’d like to eat an apple. If the answer is “yes,” your body is likely physically hungry. If the answer is “no,” you may be psychologically or emotionally hungry and have a specific craving. If you’re emotionally hungry, try distracting yourself from cravings by getting up and stretching, making a phone call, or going for a walk.
Consider your hunger patterns. More often than not, you can get hungry around the same time each day or after doing a specific activity. To know if you’re truly hungry or not, consider the time and what you’ve done so far today. Being mindful of your hunger patterns can help you decipher whether or not you’re actually hungry. For example, if you usually eat lunch around 12 PM and it’s 12:30 PM, you’re likely physically hungry because you missed your regular lunch. Say you just went hiking with some friends. Your stomach may be rumbling a bit more because you used more energy. If you’re watching TV and a commercial for a new cheeseburger comes on, you may find your mouth watering. In this instance, the commercial has made you psychologically hungry, and you’ll likely be able to wait out your craving until your next meal.
Rate your hunger level on a scale from 1 to 10. Estimating how hungry you are can help you determine what to do. With 1 being “not hungry at all” and 10 being “overly full and feeling sick,” rate how you feel, and then go from there. If your hunger level is around a 3 or 4, it may be time to eat. Have a snack if your next planned meal isn't for another 2+ hours. If your next planned meal is within the next hour or so, try to wait until your meal to eat. Ideally, you want your hunger levels to fluctuate between 4 and 7. This way, you can easily satisfy hunger without feeling overwhelmingly full.
Curbing Psychological Hunger
Drink enough water throughout the day. Believe it or not, drinking enough water can help you stop psychological hunger. Aim to drink around 8 c (1.9 L) of water a day. The more hydrated you are, the easier it’ll be to manage and listen to your body’s hunger cues. Thirst or low-level dehydration can feel like hunger. If you're not drinking enough each day, these hunger-like symptoms may trigger you to eat more or more often than you normally would. Keep a water bottle close by and monitor how much you're drinking each day.
Wait for 10 to 15 minutes before reaching for a snack. Although emotional hunger can come on suddenly, it’s even quicker to go away. Before grabbing your craving, wait at least 10 minutes to see if you still crave it. You may find that your desire to eat has subsided and is more easily controlled. Use the 10 to 15 minutes to do something else to keep your mind off food. Do a quick exercise routine, watch a video, or read a book. If you’re still thinking about food after the 15 minutes are up, you may actually be hungry. If you’re still craving something after 15 minutes, do a “self-scan.” Will this food make you feel better physically and emotionally, or can another activity satisfy your craving?
Leave the room and move your body. Sometimes, being in the same room with a favorite food or an item you're craving makes it harder to avoid. So, turn off the TV, get off the couch, and get your body moving! Curb emotional and psychological hunger by distracting yourself with physical exercise. Giving yourself the time and space to clean your head can help you forget your cravings. Go for a walk with your dog around the block. Put on your favorite music and have a dance party. Head to the gym with a friend to lift some weights. Walk to a local park and settle in on a bench with a good book.
Eat a small amount of the food you're craving. Cravings or the desire to eat can be incredibly overwhelming. Sometimes, even when you try to distract yourself, you find it difficult to stop thinking about it—and that’s okay! This is a sign that your body does want this food. Experts recommend consuming a small, controlled portion of your craving to satisfy your mind and body without unintentionally indulging. For instance, let’s say you’re craving potato chips despite having dinner an hour ago. If distracting yourself with other activities doesn’t work, consider pouring yourself a small bowl following the portion size on the back of the bag. Mindfully eat the chips without distractions, savoring each bite. Then, see if your craving has gone away—do you feel satisfied? If you don’t feel satisfied after answering your craving, dig a little deeper. Ask yourself, “What do I need in this moment to be happy? What am I feeling right now?”
Clean out your fridge to remove temptations. Having a pantry or refrigerator full of unhealthy, tempting foods can make emotional eating easier to do. If you know you typically reach for a box of crackers or bag of chips when you're bored or stressed, try removing them from the house. This isn’t a permanent solution, but it may help you avoid emotional eating. Consider donating unopened food to a food bank or church to avoid food waste and give back to your community. Know that limiting your dietary options may lead to unhealthy eating habits such as binging or overindulging. Be aware of your habits, and do what’s best for you.
Managing Emotional Eating
Start a journal to manage your emotions. Journaling is a great and easy way to learn more about yourself and your emotional patterns. Use your journal to write about how your feeling each day, if you’ve had any cravings, and what you’re doing to distract yourself from emotional eating. Instead of reaching for food when you feel sad or stressed, reach for your journal. You don’t necessarily have to write about food in your journal. Fill the empty pages with details about your day and overall life. Remember, the more you learn about yourself, the easier it’ll be to identify why you’re emotionally eating.
Manage stress to lessen cravings. More often than not, you reach for food when you’re not hungry because you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or worried. Managing stressful triggers can help you avoid eating when you’re not hungry. Try to control stress by: Taking breaks from watching or reading the news. Getting plenty of sleep. Exercising regularly. Doing things you enjoy or that make you happy every day.
Occupy your time to avoid eating from boredom. It can be easy to reach for that bag of chips when you’re bored. Keeping yourself busy is an excellent way to avoid eating when you’re not physically hungry. So, pack your schedule with daily activities, chores, or tasks to stop yourself from eating mindlessly. Fill your time by reading a book, watching a movie, taking a walk, or learning something new. Although you want to stay busy, don’t forget to schedule time to eat throughout the day. Eating healthy meals regularly can help you control your hunger so you’re less likely to binge or overindulge out of boredom late.
Practice mindful eating to suppress emotional eating. When you eat out of boredom or stress, you’re likely eating without thinking, which can lead to binging or overeating. Mindful eating is the practice of being aware of what you’re eating and drinking. Rather than tapping out or judging yourself for your eating habits, you tune into your body, acknowledging and accepting what you need and want to feel satisfied. Follow these tips to practice mindful eating: Eat in silence and remove distractions to fully immerse yourself in your meal or snack. This means no TV, music, or conversation. Chew and swallow your food slowly. Think about how each bite tastes. Put your utensil down between each bite, and reflect on how the last bite made you feel.
See a registered dietitian or therapist for help. There’s no shame in asking for a little extra help, especially if you’re not sure what to do! Dietitians and therapists can guide you as you mend your relationship with food. They can provide personalized dietary and psychological plans so you get the exact care you need. A registered dietitian is a nutrition expert who can help you understand emotional eating, talk to you about true physical hunger, and provide alternative food choices. They can even help you create a meal plan. A behavior therapist will help you understand why you emotionally eat and give you ideas for changing your reaction or behavior to specific emotional triggers. Find one of these professionals in your area by searching “registered dietitian near me” or “behavior therapist near me” online.
Join a support group for extra support. You don’t have to go through this alone. Believe it or not, there are people going through what you’re going through! Support groups are an excellent way to meet new people who feel similarly to you. Together, you can work on overcoming emotional eating and improving your relationship with food. Find a support group by talking to your doctor or therapist or searching “emotional eating support group near me” online.
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