How to Listen to Your Body's Hunger Cues

1. Eat with Your Senses

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The first step is to listen to your body to know when it is truly full. To do this, enjoy the process of eating. Slowing down and being aware of what you are chewing and digesting can help you pay attention to your meal一savoring a meal with friends or sitting down to eat can also increase your connection with your hunger cues, leaving you feeling more satisfied and and can help you avoid overeating. Additionally, you can avoid distractions such as work, smartphones, or television to be fully present with your food. These tiny adjustments can go a long way in practicing mindful eating.

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2. Tune in to Physical Hunger Cues

 

Hunger depends on the individual, and nutritional needs will vary day-to-day. The solution is to try and understand physical hunger signals. These signals include but are not limited to:

• Stomach growling

• Having trouble focusing on a task

• Lack of energy

• A feeling of lightheadedness or weakness

• Stomach pain

 

While these signals are often missed due to being constantly busy or feeling the need to follow external eating schedules, listening to these physical cues can help you better identify when you should have a meal and teach you to better understand your body.

 

You can also keep a food journal to recognize trends in your eating habits. According to Penn Medicine, a simple food journal can include columns in your notebook for what you eat, your mood and activity during the meal, and the time of meal. After several entries, it can be helpful to look back and identify if there were any habits that led to misinterpreting your hunger cues.

 

3. Honor Your Body’s Unique Signals

 

Finally, remember to recognize that everyone’s body is different - a meal or snack that makes you full may still leave someone else hungry. Therefore, it is important to respect what your body needs instead of following plans or ideas that may not work for you. When you listen to your body’s signals, you nourish not only your physical health but also your emotional well-being, helping you form a better relationship with food. 

 

Tuning in to your own hunger cues is a habit that takes practice and time. However, with patience and determination, it is absolutely possible to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle combined with an awareness for your body.

 

Sources

1.  “Are You Really Hungry? How to Understand Hunger Cues.” Penn Medicine, 7 Apr. 

      2020, 

      https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2020/april/how-to-und

      erstand-hunger-cues. 

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2.  Calechman, Steve. “Listening to your hunger cues.” Harvard Health Publishing, 21 Sept. 

      2021, 

      https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-stop-eating-all-that-tasty-but-unhealthy- 

      stuff-202109212597.

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3.  Bingeman, Brittany, and Jaqueline Neid-Avila. “Learning to Listen to Hunger and Fullness 

      Cues.” Utah State University, 

      https://extension.usu.edu/nutrition/research/learning-listening-hunger-fullness-cues.