8 Clues: Emotional or Physical Hunger?
Start writing a post
Relationships

8 Clues: Emotional or Physical Hunger?

Think you're hungry? Find out if you are stuffing down emotions.

32

Do you really need that cheesy bread?  Or are you just stuffing down some unbearable emotions?  Read these clues to discover whether you eat emotionally, or because you are truly hungry.Emotional Hunger:


1.Is sudden…
One minute you’re not even thinking about food, the next minute you’re starving.

2.Is specific…
You crave a specific food like pasta, chocolate, or a cheeseburger.  You have trouble substituting the food for something else. 

3.Starts in the mouth and mind…
Your mouth wants to taste the food and your mind wanders through thoughts about your desired food. 

4.Is urgent…
Emotional hunger urges you to eat now.  There is a desire to instantly ease emotional pain with food. 

5. Is paired with an upsetting emotion…
You’re having roommate conflicts.  Your grades are suffering.  Emotional hunger is in conjunction with stress or emotional situations. 

6. Involves automatic or absent minded or automatic eating…
You may not realize that you have eaten a whole bag of cookies. 

7. Doesn’t respond to fullness…
May stem from a desire to cover up painful feelings.  You stuff yourself to deaden emotion and may eat so much that their stomach may start to hurt. 

8. Feels guilty…
The paradox of emotional eating is that the person eats to feel better, and then berates him or herself for eating.

Physical Hunger

1. Is gradual…
Your stomach rumbles.  One hour later, it begins to growl.  You have progressive clues that you’re hungry.

2. Is open to different foods…
You may have food preferences, but they are flexible. 

3.Starts in the stomach…
Your hunger starts from stomach sensations.  You feel gnawing, rumbling, emptiness and even pain in your stomach with physical hunger.

4. Is patient…
Physical hunger would prefer that you ate soon, but doesn’t command you to eat right at that very instant.

5. Happens out of physical need…
Hunger occurs because it has been 3 or 4 hours since your last meal.  You may have light headedness or low energy if you’re extremely hungry.

6. Involves deliberate choices and awareness…
You are aware of the food on your fork, in your mouth, and in your stomach.  You can make the choice whether to eat half of your sandhich or the whole thing.

7. Stops when full…

Physical hunger stems from a desire to fuel and nourish the body.  As soon as that intention is fulfilled, then you stop eating.

8. Realizes eating is necessary…
When the intent behind eating is based in physical hunger, there is no guilt or shame associated with the eating.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

Rosh Hashanah Reflection

My experience welcoming the Jewish new year.

130
Rosh Hashanah Reflection
The Huffington Post

Well, the fall season is finally upon us. It’s time for pumpkin spice coffee, apple cider and lots of candy.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Fall Is Here!

10 reasons why you should love fall

2784
Fall Is Here!
Photo Cred: T Stangell

It's officially fall, which means I am happy, so very happy. Fall is hands down the best season on the planet. Below, I will go over reasons as to why fall is the best and should be loved by everyone.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

Lorelai Gilmore and I are kindred spirits.

4703
Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

When I was in high school, I was the occasional coffee drinker, if you could call it that. I would drink Starbucks frappuccinos and iced mocha drinks, which were more like snacks than coffee, BUT they had coffee in them, so I said I drank coffee. I progressed from my love of “snack drinks" to a more general appreciation of coffee, and would have a cup of coffee once a week or so. My “cup of coffee" would consist of a little coffee and a lot of cream and sugar, but it was coffee nonetheless. Then I started college.

Keep Reading...Show less
14 of the Most Revolutionary Short Films of All Time
JoinOneLove

Today's society places a ridiculous amount of importance on social media and what we see on our computer screens. Some of these short films you might have seen shared on Facebook. Some of them you may have never even heard of. Whatever the case may be, these productions have used thier position of power in our world today to spread a message. The messages vary from domestic violence, LGBTQ acceptance, self-love, the role of men in society to end the unfair treatment towards women and even the promotion of the furtherence of medical discovery in our country. Regardless of the message, each film advertises something that needs far more screen time than Victoria's Secret Fashion shows or Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Here are 14 of the best and most revolutionary short films to date:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Heading Home For The Summer

Why go somewhere fun when you can go home?

4312
girl with parents

Well, this school year has come to a close, and it's off to having fun in the sun. For college students, summer offers a few different options: get an internship somewhere AMAZING like NYC, India or somewhere else awesome, travel, stay in your college town or go home for the summer. Whatever the reasoning, many people do end up going home and living with their parents during the summer. Many things are different when you go home for the summer. After almost a whole year being an adult, it's time to return to your parent's home and follow rules that you threw to the wind the second you stepped on campus last fall. And you get to see all your old friends, the ones who came home anyway. You'll also see people you haven't talked to since you graduated that you were really okay with never seeing again. If you are going home for the summer, here are some things that will happen to you.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments