What’s Your Type? Let’s Talk About Hunger

It’s probably not surprising for me to say that us dietitians talk a lot about hunger in sessions with our clients. What might be surprising to hear is that conversations about hunger aren’t often as straightforward as one might imagine. Hunger is a natural signal the body gives to indicate its need for sustenance. As simple as that may sound, hunger cues can be confusing and complicated for people to discern for various reasons. Further, there are different types of hunger and, if one is able to tune into them, they can help explain what one needs in the moment, what they’re experiencing, and what to do to meet their needs. Some folks might have difficulty recognizing hunger in general and/or the different types. Let’s explore the various kinds of hunger and what they mean.

Physical Hunger

When one feels the physical signs of hunger, it means the body needs food for energy. In these situations, the body (primarily the stomach)  is releasing a hormone called ghrelin, which stimulates hunger (Note: In contrast, you may have also heard of a hormone called leptin, which signals satiety.). Some common signs of physical hunger include a sense of emptiness in the stomach, hunger pangs, headaches, shakiness, thinking more about food, fatigue, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, a sense of urgency, and others. Some of these cues can occur for reasons other than physical hunger, but if they resolve after eating, it’s a strong sign that what you were feeling was physical hunger. Diet culture has devised various “tricks” for avoiding physical hunger, but these are not advised as your body will find a way to still send those cues and get the energy it needs. Further, there is nothing “wrong” with feeling physical hunger, and tending to it. Depending on one’s current or past relationship with food, signs of physical hunger can also bring up complicated and/or complex emotions, memories, or thoughts that are important to name and process. Getting additional support from a therapist and dietitian can help you learn how to nourish yourself while managing any mental or emotional barriers associated with these cues.

Emotional Hunger

Emotional hunger can occur when one is feeling emotions of any kind and then feels a desire to use food to cope, soothe, increase/amplify, distract, and/or find comfort. It’s actually quite common to use food for emotional reasons, and it’s totally okay to do this because emotional hunger is valid, too. It’s also important to consider additional coping and soothing strategies so you don't have just one tool at the ready. What one person chooses to eat when they are feeling emotions can vary from another person, and I’ve worked with clients who might reach for different foods for different emotions. It can be tricky sometimes to know if what you’re feeling is emotional or physical hunger. In contrast to the signs of physical hunger listed above, emotional hunger may show up more suddenly, it may surface along with an intense and/or uncomfortable emotion, when one feels a need for relief or comfort, and/or may happen even if you’ve recently eaten and may be physically satiated. Often, emotional hunger feels more specific to a certain food or type of food, whereas physical hunger might be more generalized.

Practical Hunger

Perhaps a bit misleading in its name, this type of “hunger” more so means we may need to eat at a particular time knowing that we won’t be able to eat when we expect to be physically hungry. Say it’s 11:30AM you think you’ll be physically hungry for lunch around noon, but you know you have a noon meeting and won’t be able to eat until after the meeting at 1:30PM.. You might decide to eat at 11:30AM anyway to avoid feeling strong and uncomfortable physical hunger during your meeting, which would take away from your focus and ability to be present. This would be practical hunger. Sometimes practical hunger is necessary when we’re navigating a busy day and the logistics require us to modify our eating times. Some clients feel like it’s not intuitive to eat when you don’t necessarily feel physically hungry, but some grace with yourself is important. Choosing to eat at a time that’s practical versus waiting too long can really help out your body and keep you feeling more energized and steady.

Taste Hunger

This type of hunger may emerge when you have a craving for a particular food. It may occur in the absence of or along with physical hunger. You could almost think of taste hunger as being associated with our senses of smell, sight, and/or hearing, which can lead to a “oh, that sounds good” thought. Sometimes we might not be physically hungry when taste hunger shows up. Imagine you’ve just eaten dinner and you feel satisfied. Then, you see a commercial for ice cream and think “oh, that sounds good”. You know you’re not physically hungry, but the idea of ice cream sounds appealing. You might choose to have some anyway, or you might decide to pass…there is no wrong choice! You are allowed to eat even when you’re not physically hungry, so remember that taste hunger is valid, too. Sometimes folks refer to taste hunger as eye hunger (seeing something yummy), ear hunger (hearing something cooking or being prepared), and/or nose hunger (smelling the delicious scents), since any number of our senses can be stimulated in these circumstances. These types of hunger might not be accompanied by as much urgency as physical hunger, though.

Keep in mind that you might feel more than one type of hunger at a time, and this is okay (even though it might feel confusing!). If you’re able to pause and consider what’s going on for you in the moment, when you last ate, etc., you might be able to determine which type of hunger you feel. Know that honoring any type of hunger is completely okay, so give yourself permission! If you’re able to determine which type(s) you feel it can help you decide what food you need or want in the moment to leave you satiated. Remember, you can’t do anything wrong! Doing your best to honor what your body is telling you is a great step, and you’ll get some helpful data as you practice.

What about Appetite?

Appetite and hunger sometimes are used interchangeably, but there are differences. Hunger is the physiological need for food and energy. Appetite is about desire and what sounds good, and can be impacted by emotions, sensory factors, mood, etc. Appetite can exist even if you aren’t physically hungry (think taste hunger as discussed above). 

What can impact recognition of hunger cues?

Many things! Some examples include: medications (including GLP-1s), difficulties with sensory cues, previous experiences that make it hard for one to connect with their body, mood, anxiety, disordered eating, interoception issues (difficulty determining how one feels), dieting, hormonal changes, circumstances that may impact the release of ghrelin and/or leptin, stress, food insecurity, and more. 

Is your head spinning? Hopefully not, but hunger isn’t always easy peasy. Talking with a registered dietitian about your relationship with food, your ability to sense and/or challenges with sensing hunger cues, and learning how to best respond to hunger cues for your body can be really helpful. We’re here to help with this and all nutrition needs, so, as always, feel free to reach out!

Written by Sarita Aguirre, MS, RDN, LDN, CEDS-C