No. 75 | The Psychological Side of Hunger - Emotional Eating + Cravings

The Between Meals Podcast

Continuing from the last episode on Understanding Hunger, in this episode we dive into the other side of things, considering the psychological, emotional and mental aspects of hunger, appetite, and cravings.

In this episode of the Between Meals Podcast you will learn:

• the differences between physical hunger and emotional hunger (appetite)
• the two different types of hunger that contribute to our appetite: homeostatic eating and hedonic eating
• the overlap between hedonic hunger and emotional eating
• the role of dopamine in pleasure and reward eating
• what is emotional eating
• strategies and considerations for navigating emotional eating
• so much more

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Questions to ask yourself when you are struggling with over-eating, chaotic eating or experiencing binge-eating type behaviors, especially in the evening:
  • Did I nourish myself today, did I eat enough food?
  • When was the last time I ate?
  • Did I skip any meals?
  • Were my meals adequately satisfying and substantial - did they include enough satisfying foods like protein and fiber-rich foods?
  • Did I enjoy what I ate today - was there pleasure with my food?
  • Am I adequately hydrated?
  • Am I restricting any foods currently? Are there foods that feel off-limits to me?
  • Is this emotional hunger and cravings or is it physical hunger? What am I noticing right now about my physical body and signs of hunger?
  • What am I feeling right now? What emotions are either present or possibly lingering under the surface needing my attention?
  • Am I just stressed, bored, sad, or upset and needing comfort? Will food offer me that comfort or is there something else that may help me to either self-soothe or safely investigate the root of the emotion I am feeling?
  • What particular food sounds good? Would this food leave me feeling good? How do I want to feel after I eat this?

• Mindful Eating Link on Tasty Yummies
• Dopamine Nation - book Dr. Anna Lembke
• WWWH Method on Instagram

Do you want to learn more about intentional eating and the foundations of real, long-lasting sustainable health? Are you ready to build a better relationship with food while you optimize your health and nutrition through simple sustainable habit changes?? Enrollment for Trust + Thrive Academy opens again in January - grab a spot on the waitlist now: https://tasty-yummies.com/trustandthrive/

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