Emotional Hunger vs. Physical Hunger

Physical Hunger vs. Emotional Hunger

Sometimes the strongest food cravings hit us when we are at your weakest point emotionally. You may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously. Often times we use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger. We've all been there!

Physical hunger, sometimes called biological hunger, occurs when your brain is communicating a physical need for food/energy.

Emotional hunger is a craving for food that results from an emotion such as stress and at times even positive emotions such as joy.

Understanding the difference between emotional hunger vs. physical hunger in intuitive eating is crucial and its important to find more satisfying ways to feed our feelings.

1.     Physical hunger comes on gradually while emotional hunger comes on rather suddenly.

2.     Physical hunger is always felt in the stomach while emotional hunger is felt overwhelmingly in the body and mind.

3.     Physical hunger leads to feeling satisfied and full whereas emotional hunger may leave us feeling guilty or shameful.

4.     Physical hunger is slow and mindful while emotional hunger may make us feel out of control and the hunger feels urgent.

5.     Physical hunger feels open to diverse food while emotional hunger may feel highly specific to a food craving.

Remember, emotional hunger is your body’s way of telling you that you need comfort or something soothing. Instead of actually being hungry, maybe you just need a quick break or a walk outside to relieve some stress.