Wellness Articles

Wellness Index

Physiological hunger, and feeling "hungry" are two different animals. Physiological hunger, resulting from the body’s need for nutrients is seldom a concern in affluent societies such as ours. Yet, feeling "hungry" can be a seemingly constant condition for even the most well-fed of people. That’s because our desire to eat is often a conditioned response to other situations and has nothing to do with actual hunger. Discovering how various events, emotions, and environments can trigger that "hungry" feeling can help you understand why you really eat. And, when you know why you eat, you’ll be better able to defuse your eating "triggers" and control your eating habits for better health.

Keep A Diary

The most effective means of discovering your own eating triggers is to keep an accurate record of everything you eat, when, where, and how you ate it, and how you felt when you did. Keep this daily record for at least a week. You’ll discover some interesting patterns. Maybe you snack while watching TV. If you do it every time you watch a show, pretty soon just turning on the set will make you "feel" hungry. The same is true of any situation or habit that you routinely associate with eating — going to a ball game, feeling tense or bored, and so on. All of these triggers can actually make you feel hungry, even though physically, you do not need food. Awareness of your triggers helps differentiate this "fake" hunger from the real thing.

An eating diary such as the one shown here can help you discover your personal eating triggers, and help you differentiate "fake" hunger from the real thing.

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