SUPPLY

Nervous hunger, what it is and how to combat it

Nervous hunger is a widespread disorder that leads to using food as an outlet to compensate for negative emotional states. Stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness and boredom can play key roles in this disorder.

Particularly difficult moments in life can lead some people to vent their hunger through food: one eats not for a physical need (to satisfy the sense of hunger) but to find a 'remedy' against negative emotions or against a general feeling of emptiness within oneself.

Recognising nervous hunger and trying to counteract it is possible. Let's see how. (source: grupposandonato.it)

freepik
What is nervous hunger
Nervous hunger is a widespread disorder that leads to using food as an outlet to compensate for negative emotional states. Stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness and boredom can play key roles in this disorder. Particularly difficult moments in life can lead some people to vent their hunger through food: one eats not for a physical need (to satisfy the sense of hunger) but to find a 'remedy' against negative emotions or against a general feeling of emptiness within oneself. Recognising nervous hunger and trying to counteract it is possible. Let's see how. (source: grupposandonato.it)
freepik
The characteristics of physical hunger
Physical hunger and nervous hunger have characteristics that enable them to be distinguished. Physical hunger comes gradually, does not cause guilt, is based on the act of eating as a necessity, once satisfied one stops eating.
freepik
The characteristics of nervous hunger
The characteristics of nervous hunger, on the other hand, are based on a hunger that arrives suddenly and is felt as urgent, that is insistent, that leads to guilt, and that does not cease once one has finished eating.
freepik
Some strategies to put into practice
A number of strategies can be implemented to try to combat nervous hunger. These include eating in small bites, eating five meals a day, preparing more elaborate dishes that take longer, chewing food longer, eating away from smartphones and TV, and trying to fight boredom and loneliness by engaging in other activities.
freepik
When to rely on a specialist
When nervous hunger is not just a sporadic episode and becomes such a problem that it compromises one's quality of life, the best advice is still to consult a specialist who can help find a valid solution.
Informativa ai sensi della Direttiva 2009/136/CE: questo sito utilizza solo cookie tecnici necessari alla navigazione da parte dell'utente in assenza dei quali il sito non potrebbe funzionare correttamente.