Discover the Power of Mindful Eating: Are You Eating Because You’re Hungry or Out of Habit?

Eating while not truly hungry is a habit that can be harmful to your health. The good news is that controllability exists.

TFD – Dive into the world of mindful eating and health habits. Uncover the truth behind your eating patterns—are you truly hungry or simply following a habit? Explore actionable steps to assess your hunger cues and develop mindful eating habits for better well-being. Take charge of your eating patterns and discover the power of mindful eating.

After a typical workday, you immediately go to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat when you get home. Not only was the food you ate not dinner, but you weren’t even hungry. Still, you consumed it. Perhaps out of habit?

Many people associate eating out of habit with indulging in an abundance of snacks after supper or with the occasional craving for food.

Others may be seduced by food’s appearance and end up consuming it without realizing it. Consider overindulging in chips simply because you had a packet at home. Or, savoring a pani puri just because your favorite chaat vendor happened to be there.

Boredom and stress act as triggers, prompting some people to go for a snack.

Eating while not truly hungry is a habit that can be harmful to your health. This careless eating habit is adopted by many for a variety of reasons. The good news is that controllability exists.

When we’re not even hungry, why do we eat?

Numerous psychological and environmental elements have an impact on the idea of eating out of habit or boredom.

“The body sends signals to the brain by the hormones that the stomach is empty and hence we eat food, but eating when one is not hungry is ‘hunger habit’ which is developed over time,” explains Ritika Samaddar, regional head, nutrition and dietetics, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi.

It may happen for a number of reasons. For example, a person might form the practice of routinely snacking every two to three hours, even when they are not hungry. This could involve having a snack after supper. In a similar vein, eating can be used to divert attention from physical pain. Additionally, stress, boredom, loneliness, or negative thoughts can all trigger feelings of hunger,” says the nutritionist.

Nutritionist Deepti Khatuja goes on to say that ghrelin, or the hunger hormone, is released when a person experiences stress or emotion. It makes you feel hungry and want to eat more.

Effect on well-being

The harmless-looking habit of mindless eating, of which you are probably not even aware, can become the reason for serious ailments.

“Excessive eating is the result of this hungry behavior, which is typically not tracked or measured for calorie intake. It often involves consuming mostly junk foods, such as sweets or fried items, which are high in calories and can lead to overweight or obesity problems,” says Deepti Khatuja, chief clinical nutritionist at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.

The nutritionist continues, “Many degenerative diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and also certain types of cancer are primarily caused by being overweight or obese.”

The scientists claim that eating out of habit rather than hunger is another factor contributing to the rise in childhood obesity as well as early onset diabetes and hypertension. Khatuja continues, “This is raising the cost of living and decreasing the quality of life.”

How to exert authority

You may manage your cravings to eat when you’re not hungry by adopting a thoughtful attitude toward food and your health.

Recognizing your hunger habit is the first of several steps in controlling it. It’s critical to understand how it affects you and to recognize the triggers.

The following are some strategies for controlling eating when not hungry, as recommended by Dr. Chandrima Misra Mukherjee, a clinical psychologist at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram:

• Eat only when you are genuinely hungry. To understand that, you can take a moment and ask yourself, ‘Why am I eating?’ Simply posing this question can enable one to connect with their body and inquire: ‘Am I genuinely hungry at this moment? What is motivating me to reach for this food? Is it stress, loneliness, fatigue, or boredom, or is it a physical indication such as a rumbling stomach indicating hunger?’
• Establish regular meal times and stick to them to reduce the possibility of mindless snacking.
• Plan nutritious meals and snacks to avoid impulsive eating choices (Pro tip: Ensure enough intake of protein and fibre, for they keep you full for longer).
• Engage in activities that keep you busy and away from boredom or emotional eating triggers, like exercise, hobbies, or socialising.
• Keep tempting snacks away to reduce the temptation to eat them when bored.
• Find healthy ways to cope with stress and emotional triggers, like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or journaling.
• Drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Sometimes it seems like you are hungry, but you’re actually thirsty.

According to Deepti Khatuja, “replacing the junk meal with low calories, high protein natural snacks can be helpful to maintain positive health when you know you are eating despite not being hungry.”

In order to regulate the hunger habit, nutritionist Ritika Samaddas also advises managing emotions by deep breathing, getting enough sleep, engaging in greater physical exercise, and picking up a hobby.

Since psychological issues also contribute to this eating behavior, seeking counseling may be necessary in order to break the hungry habit.

Next time you grab something to eat, take a moment to ask yourself if you are actually hungry!