Hunger vs craving − why it matters

Hunger or craving?

Hunger and hunger pangs are signals from your body that it needs life-sustaining food for energy. When you are truly hungry, you may experience an empty, hollow feeling in your stomach and even a few angry stomach growls. Your brain may help re-inforce the message with signals such as trouble concentrating, irritability or brain fogginess. The hunger will not go away until you have eaten something and only food, any food, will satisfy your hungry body!

Cravings are different from hunger. Cravings are characterised by an intense longing, desire and want for a specific food or drink whether you are hungry or not. The foods you crave may not be life-sustaining at all! Cravings are often triggered by an emotional response to stress, boredom, sadness, etc. or by an acquired fondness for a certain food or by seeing or smelling appetising food. Unlike in the case of hunger, only that one specific food or drink will satisfy the craving.

When did it all go wrong?

Animals instinctively stop eating when their hunger has been satisfied – and so should we. In humans, learned behaviour overtakes instinct between the ages of three and five. Babies and young children under the age of three will fuss and demand food when they are hungry but will instinctively stop eating when satisfied. Anyone who then tries to force more food into their mouths do so at their own peril!
Unfortunately, research findings show that the older children get the more learned behaviour takes over with the result that they often don’t know when to stop eating. The sad fact is that learned behaviour often programmes our bodies to ignore natural and instinctive cues such as eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are full. Cravings or overeating isn’t instinctive, it is a learned behaviour.

Why does it matter?

Ignoring hunger cues, only eating when the clock says it is lunch or supper time, eating when you are not even hungry, overeating, binge eating, emotional eating and having food cravings are all examples of negative, learned behaviours. Learning to distinguish between hunger and cravings is the first step towards getting back to your intuitive eating roots, managing your weight and staying healthy.

The second step is to take stock of why you struggle with certain food and drink cravings. If it’s an emotional need, deal with the emotion. If it’s a proximity craving, that is when seeing (and smelling) food unleashes an urge to eat, avoid the location of temptation or turn a blind eye. However, your inability to curb your cravings aren’t necessarily because you are weak. Cravings may also be a subtle cue to some underlying deficiency or disease in your body. For example, excessive thirst may point to diabetes while intense salt cravings may point to Addison’s or adrenal cortex disease and sugar cravings may be a sign that your blood sugar levels aren’t balanced.

The third step is to take control of your cravings, whatever the underlying cause and to learn to replace them with healthy alternatives. If you really can’t, try to satisfy them in a controlled manner.

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Normand, A. 2015. Hunger, appetite and cravings – what’s the difference? Retrieved from: https://www.medibank.com.au/bemagazine/post/food/hunger-appetite-and-cravings-whats-the-difference/
Praderio, C. 2015. Three cravings that are a sign you have a health problem. Retrieved from: http://www.eatclean.com/scoops/food-cravings-and-illness
Vennerholm, S. 2015. Breaking the cycle of food cravings: why are we drawn to foods that harm us? Retrieved from: http://autoimmune-paleo.com/breaking-the-cycle-of-food-cravings-why-are-we-drawn-to-foods-that-harm-us/
Zulberg, D. 2015. The difference between cravings and hunger and why it matters. Retrieved from: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18782/the-difference-between-cravings-hunger-and-why-it-matters.html