Emotional Versus Physical Hunger

Learning to eat intuitively means understanding your hunger and fullness cues. This doesn’t mean eating only according to your hunger and fullness cues, as that may turn into restrictive rules, which is the opposite of Intuitive Eating. So, what is Intuitive Eating then?” you may be wondering. Intuitive Eating is a self care practice to honor your physical hunger and mental well-being, developed by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elise Resch (Tribole & Resch, 2020). Being an intuitive eater means honoring your emotional and physical hunger cues as well as you can, with a big heaping of grace, because we don’t always get it exactly right, and that’s expected. But what is emotional hunger and what is physical hunger? Let’s dive into how to tell the difference between emotional and physical hunger, and what to do if you’re not sure which one you’re feeling.

Emotional Hunger

Emotional hunger is the desire that arises to eat following an emotion or feeling. It’s very likely you’re familiar with emotional eating such as when you’re sad or bored. But emotional hunger can arise from other emotions as well, such as eating a slice of birthday cake at a party, or eating a celebratory meal after a job promotion. It’s often associated with emotions as a tool for numbing or soothing strong feelings, but can also be a way of expressing emotions.

Signs of emotional hunger include:

• Hunger that comes on quickly and intensely, and is associated with new or strengthening emotions, including anxiety, stress, anger, sadness, or joy

• Occurs regardless of last eating episode

• Physical sensations in the stomach or chest feel more like anxiety

• There may be a specific desire or craving, rather than general hunger

• Hunger may feel linked to a desire for soothing, comfort, relaxation, or numbing

Physical Hunger

Physical hunger, or biological hunger, is when your brain communicates a physical need for food, and can manifest through both physical and emotional responses. While emotional hunger can be satiated in a number of different ways, physical hunger can only be quelled by eating. Regardless of what you might have seen online about how to suppress or eliminate hunger, these are just tricks and do not actually eliminate hunger, but rather, intensify it.

Signs of physical hunger include:

• Physical sensations come on slowly, often 2-3 hours after eating a well-balanced snack or meal, though it may come on sooner if the last time you are undernourished

• Sensations may include a feeling of emptiness or growling, grumbling, or gnawing in the stomach, fatigue, anger, headache, difficulty concentrating, moodiness, or anxiety

• There may not be specific desires for food, just a general desire for satiety 

What If You Can’t Tell the Difference?

Learning your hunger and fullness cues, and determining whether the sensation you’re feeling is emotional or physical hunger takes lots of practice, time, and you may not get it right at first, or even when you feel like you’re well-versed in physical and emotional hunger. 

As dietitians who specialize in Intuitive Eating, our advice is to eat. If you think you might be hungry, or you aren’t sure if you’re feeling emotionally or physically hungry, have a snack and see for yourself. Nothing bad will happen to you if you don’t get it right, and your body will likely thank you for the fuel, whether it needs it for emotional or physical reasons.

Want to learn how to learn (or re-learn) your hunger and fullness cues, or explore becoming an intuitive eater? Reach out to us today. Our team of registered dietitians specialize in intuitive eating and offer a personalized approach to your individual needs and lifestyle.