How to Tell if Your Hunger Is Real

Did you know there are different types of hunger? It's true! In fact, there are a lot of reasons that you might think you feel hungry, but only one of them is real physical hunger.

Let's learn how to differentiate physical hunger from other types.

Senses-Induced Hunger

This type of hunger occurs when you see or smell food that's appealing to you. You might not need food, but you smell the pizza your co-worker is eating and, suddenly, you have to have some. Or maybe you see a commercial for a tantalizingly beautiful donut, and you find yourself heading out the door to go find one.

This type of hunger can also occur when you have a craving for something of a certain texture, like crunchy or creamy. You aren't physically hungry, but your senses are wishing for something of a particular consistency.

Emotional Hunger

This type of hunger occurs when you're feeling a certain emotion that you've connected in your past with food. Common ones include fear, loneliness, boredom, and sadness.

Usually, these types of cravings are for not-so-healthy "comfort foods" like sugary snacks or heavy, fatty meals.

Fatigue Hunger

Not getting enough sleep interferes with the hormones your body produces to let you know if you're hungry or full. People who haven't slept well often consume more calories over the day than those who've had a good night's sleep.

Habit Hunger

Sometimes people think they're hungry when, in reality, they've simply developed a habit of eating at certain times. This is common in the workplace when people become conditioned to having a snack or lunch at a certain time each day.

Real Hunger

Real hunger comes with solid physical indicators. These include:

• Stomach growling.
• Hunger pangs in the stomach.
• Weakness or other physical signs of low blood sugar.

How to Combat Non-Physical Hunger

The first thing you'll need to do is learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and other types of hunger in your body.

The next time you feel like eating something, stop for a moment. Evaluate your physical and mental hunger indicators. Is your stomach growling? If so, go ahead and eat, but do so slowly and mindfully, stopping when you're full. If not, think about which of the other hunger triggers might be going on with you at the moment.

If you find that you're not physically in need of food, find another way to squash your "hunger." If you're bored, call a friend. If you've been enticed by the smell of a pizza, try smelling something light and citrusy, like lemon essential oil.

A Garcinia cambogia supplement can help you fight cravings that aren't related to true physical hunger, especially emotional ones. It works by helping your body keep its serotonin levels up, so you feel good and don't crave food to help you feel better.