Telling hunger apart

Nutrition · Beginner

Learn to recognize whether your hunger is physical or emotional, and insert a pause before eating on impulse.

Small actions of a few minutes to start this habit:

Before eating between meals, ask yourself: 'am I hungry for food, or hungry for something else?'.

Physical hunger builds gradually and accepts anything; emotional hunger appears suddenly and demands something specific.

1 min

If you suspect it's emotional hunger, give yourself ten minutes before deciding.

Emotional urges usually lose intensity when they aren't fed straight away.

10 min

Give a name to what you're feeling (boredom, stress, sadness) and address it on its own terms, not with food.

Food doesn't solve boredom or anxiety; it only postpones them.

2 min