8 Different Types of Hunger
There are many reasons why we, as humans, eat. Something we work on in eating disorder recovery is getting you to tune into your body’s hunger and fullness cues however, hunger and eating are not that simple. Eating when not hungry can be part of ‘normal’ eating and a healthful relationship with food. In this blog we’re going to explore Susie Orbach’s 8 different types of hunger, why we might eat in the absence of hunger and how this might be confusing for clients on their eating disorder recovery journey.
1. Social Hunger
This means eating socially to gain pleasure from food, because people are eating and celebrating food together. You may wish to participate in this eating event even if you don’t feel hungry or it doesn’t fit your eating plan because people will always want to be social around food and it can be a nice and fun experience to share food with friends and family.
2. Mouth Hunger
Sometimes you may simply desire the feeling of chewing, of eating something even though you may not have the typical physical signs of hunger e.g., light tummy grumbles. This is also ok. Rather than reaching for chewing gum to try and ignore your want, take some deep breathes and really think about what it is that would satisfy you in that moment.
3. Deserved Hunger
It is ok to eat to cheer yourself up, because you have had a bad day, because you deserve it. Doing this, on occasion, is a part of ‘normal’ eating and yes, another occasion that you can give yourself permission to eat despite not feeling hungry.
4. Prophylactic Hunger
This is when you eat now because you know you will be hungry later. For example, eating your lunch an hour early, even though you might not feel hungry, because you know you will be overly hungry by the time you leave your big exec meeting this afternoon. This planning ahead can stop your blood sugar levels from getting too low which can lead to us feeling out of control and overeating at our next eating event.
5. Pleasure Hunger
That’s right, whether it is bringing back fond childhood memories or it’s just delicious, food can give us pleasure. It is ok to have that unplanned slice of carrot cake (my favourite) if that is what you truly want. However, if food is the only thing that can give you pleasure and eating certain foods leads to any eating behaviours which leave you feeling guilt and/or shame then it might be time to start to explore your relationship with food.
6. Anxiety Hunger
Eating to calm your nerves can be a really normal thing for lots of people. Others will find anxiety makes them completely lose their appetite. Whatever you experience the most important point here is that we need to work towards reducing your anxiety and stress as we want to be eating in a calm and appropriate way to support our physical and mental wellbeing.
7. Celebratory Hunger
This type of hunger is when you eat because you don’t know how to get through events without food. Eating at events a) gives you something to hold in your hand b) may help to calm your nerves and c) you may be exposed to a lot of foods which are normally off-limits / restricted and therefore you are more likely to trigger a binge/purge episode. Food at events is there to be enjoyed calmly and it is ok to overeat on occasion or eat even though you don’t physically feel hungry. If you are feeling out of control around lots of food or find yourself “not being able to stop” then it might be time to see if we can work towards healing your relationship with food.
8. Boredom Hunger
You find you eat because you can’t think of anything else to do. Whilst this may become a problem if it is a regular occurrence or you feel out of control around your eating it is also important to remember that this can be a part of ‘normal’ eating.
If the thought of eating with the absence of hunger fills you with fear or you know that you would feel weak, guilty or a sense of shame then it is time to work on healing your relationship with food. Get in touch today to see how I can help!