White tick icons on a pink shield logo.
family-on-couch

food unsafe When Your Eyes Want Food–Not Your Stomach

Have you ever seen a TV ad for a hot fudge sundae and suddenly felt hungry—even if you just ate?

That’s normal! It’s easy to eat when we’re not really hungry. Food is everywhere—at home, in stores, and even at school or work. But learning to understand your hunger can help you stay healthy and avoid overeating.

Shield with fork and knife icon How Do You Know If You’re Hungry?​

Sometimes hunger shows up in your body, not just your stomach.

You might feel:

  • A growling or empty stomach
  • Low energy
  • Weak or shaky
  • Cranky or “hangry”
  • Trouble focusing
  • A headache
Low-energy
bac_party-food

Tasty smell What Can Make You Want to Eat (Even If You’re Not Hungry)?

Tasty smells or sights:

Seeing cookies or smelling a burger can make you want to eat—even if you weren’t hungry before.

Feelings:

  • Stress or sadness can lead to emotional eating.
  • Happiness at birthdays or parties can make you want to eat more, too.

Other people:

You might eat more if someone around you is eating a lot.

Boredom:

Some people eat when they’re bored, even if they aren’t hungry.

Eating too fast:

Your brain takes about 20 minutes to know you’re full. Eating quickly or eating junk food like chips or cookies can make it easy to overeat. Try eating slowly and chewing well to give your brain time to catch up.

Sometimes we have to eat when we’re not very hungry because of school or work schedules. That’s okay. Just try to pack healthy food so you can eat when your body is ready.

food unsafe Get in Touch with Your Hunger

Before eating, stop and ask yourself:

“How hungry am I?”
pregnant-woman-eating

Try rating your hunger on a scale from 1 to 5:

Not
hungry

Very
hungry

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

If you’re not very hungry, think about why you want to eat. Are you:

Thirsty?

Try a glass of water.

Craving junk food?

Junk food often feels good in the moment, but it doesn’t fill you up.

at a Party or
Feeling Happy?

Try to match your eating to your hunger.
Tip: Not hungry? Snack on raw veggies or sip water instead.

Bored or sad?

Check out some of the ideas below.

If You’re Bored:

  • Paint your nails
  • Read a book
  • Take a walk
  • Draw or color
  • Go to the park

If You’re Stressed or Sad:

  • Make a list of what you’re thankful for
  • Listen to music and dance
  • Call a friend who makes you feel good
  • Spend time outside
  • Help someone else

If you often feel sad or anxious, talk to your doctor or health care provider.

Remember, listening to your body helps you make smart food choices. And smart choices lead to better health!

1bac_woman-cooking

REFERENCES:

Dakanalis, A., Mentzelou, M., Papadopoulou, S. K., Papandreou, D., Spanoudaki, M., Vasios, G. K., Pavlidou, E., Mantzorou, M., & Giaginis, C. (2023). The association of emotional eating with overweight/obesity, depression, anxiety/stress, and dietary patterns: A review of the current clinical evidence. Nutrients, 15(5), 1173. 
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051173

Evers, C., Adriaanse, M., de Ridder, D., & de Witt Huberts, J. (2013). Good mood food: Positive emotion as a neglected trigger for food intake. Appetite, 68, 1–7.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.04.007

Fuente González, C. E., Chávez-Servín, J. L., de la Torre-Carbot, K., Ronquillo González, D., Aguilera Barreiro, M. L. Á., & Ojeda Navarro, L. R. (2022). Relationship between emotional eating, consumption of hyperpalatable energy-dense foods, and indicators of nutritional status: A systematic review. Journal of Obesity, 2022, Article 4243868. 
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4243868

Andrew, B., van Tilburg, W. A. P., Igou, E. R., Wisman, A., Donnelly, A. E., & Mulcaire, J. B. (2015). Eaten up by boredom: Consuming food to escape awareness of the bored self. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Article 369.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00369

Author: Bridget Swinney, MS, RDN, LD