Nervous hunger: how to manage the urge to always eat

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Often and gladly the food comes to be a shelteror through which to console oneself for something that went wrong during the day or for a not-so-happy period of our life. This is where the nervous hunger, a really unhealthy and above all untrue impulse: yes because in some moments it seems that hunger almost clouds our sight, and instead it is not the stomach that requires food, but the head.

One of the first steps to be happy and at peace with yourself is feel good about your body. Here's how to do it in this video!

What is nervous hunger?

La nervous hunger it is triggered by some psychic mechanisms that lead the individual to eating often unconsciously, compulsively, automatically and never healthy. The foods that we "grab" in times of crisis are in most cases, high calorie, greasy and full of fat and sugar snacks.

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Lack of will has nothing to do with it, iThe subject affected by this disorder is led to the choice by some deviated brain instincts, so to learn a manage nervous hunger, one of the first things to do is know the reasons behind it.

Nervous hunger: the reasons that trigger it

The reasons of nervous hunger can be different, let's see which are the most common:

  • disappointments and anger they make you extremely self-critical of yourself, as well as insecure and this weakens you, causing you to take refuge in food as a lifeline. Eating becomes the only way to have a reward or a consolation.
  • eating becomes instinctive like taking breast milk and if we are insecure, it is a reassuring time just like the infant latching onto the mother's breast to get milk.
  • eating causes extreme pleasure, especially if we are obsessed with a certain food or drink. In these cases we completely lose control with consequent alteration of behavior and modification of normal food-related habits.
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What is important to dwell on is that it is necessary being able to recognize false brain stimuli, because even if it may seem strange, it is he who is hungry. Often nervous hunger leads us to eat regardless of appetite, so how can we appease these cravings while avoiding the risk of gaining weight?

The main fault is attributable to some instinctive brain circuits which determine the unmotivated attraction towards particular foods. Is it possible to control them? Yup paying attention to the foods around you, but also to other factors such as sleeping well and knowing how to manage stress.

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How to fight nervous hunger

One of the first things to do for try to quench nervous hunger is to start following one balanced diet rich in healthy and nutritious foods that they do not trigger the sense of hunger when this is not true.

A simple and effective way to achieve this is prepare most of the food directly at home, so you will be sure of the ingredients used and you will avoid prepackaged foods rich in saturated fats, sugars, refined flours, etc.

Healthy foods, if well balanced, are often enough on their own a create a sense of satiety after consuming them, avoiding the activation of nervous hunger and consequently the act of eating even when you are not hungry.

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If you think that stress is the cause of nervous hunger, you need to identify the motive that leads you to be so stressed and adopt a plan to deal with it. This will help you have the perception of being able to control the situation.

Stressful circumstances that you think you can't keep at bay are very bad for your health. They increase exponentially the levels of nervous hunger, which becomes impossible to manage.

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If you feel too stressed and the irrepressible urge to eat assaults you, i There are two tips we can give you:

  • avoid munching on high-calorie foods, the ideal is to avoid buying them in order not to fall into temptation.
  • dedicated to other activities that do not involve contact with food. Some idea? Painting, pampering yourself with a mask, tidying up, cleaning, taking a hot bath, playing sports, leaving the house for a walk.

Even if you don't think about it often, they are there a thousand ways to distract the mind and stave off nervous hunger.

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The damage of nervous hunger on the body

La nervous hunger it can not only lead to weight gain, but it contributes in an important way to cause various diseases. Which?

  • diabetes
  • infarct
  • ictus
  • tumors
  • arthritis
  • gotta
  • Alzheimer

La nervous hunger irreparably leads to putting on a few extra pounds, and in most cases, individuals live extremely badly this condition, the social diagio increases, as well as increase anxiety and stress which still lead to nervous hunger. It's a bit like a dog chasing its tail… a circuit with no way out.

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Nervous hunger: the moments when we are most vulnerable

Nervous hunger always shows up when we are unable to handle negative emotions, in particular there are some moments in life in which we are susceptible and the risk of consoling oneself with food increases dramatically.


1. The work
the work and in general the office environment is one of the first causes of stress, negative emotions, anxiety, nervousness and frustration. There are many reasons: one discussion with a colleague, a rebuke from a superior or simply not being satisfied with what we are dealing with.

So we begin to feel the sense of hunger and the irrepressible need for let off steam with food. What to do? you can bring raw vegetables to the office with you to nibble, this gesture will serve a calm nervous hunger without harmful effects on the body. Or go ahead for yoghurt, dried fruit or cereal-based snacks.

For the lunch break, choose light but filling foods: a packet of chips is not ideal, it will only whet your appetite even more. Finally, when the sense of hunger occurs try drinking a glass of water, you will see that it will subside on its own, mainly because it is a false stimulus.

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2. The weekend
The weekend is another dangerous moment if you suffer from nervous hunger: the working week is over and you feel you need a reward that you will identify in a delicious food: pizza, sushi, burgers, chips and so on. The junk food it has the power to make us feel better just at the thought that we will soon eat it.

How can you do for quench the craving for calorie foods and prevent all weekends from becoming a real attack on the line?

  • Treat yourself to some small whim combined with a healthy diet throughout the week, this way you will feel less need to reward yourself at the weekend.
  • Rather than rewarding yourself with food, treat yourself to something different: a new sport course, an out-of-town experience or… go shopping (which has always been the best medicine!).
  • Loneliness is one of the causes that pushes people to compensate for missing affection with food. Try to throw yourself into some social activity where you can meet new people, or just call a friend and have a chat together!
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3. In the evening and at night
The evening hours are the most critical when it is easier to feel lonely, sad and overwhelmed by negative emotions. In addition, many people struggle to sleep due to anxiety and stress, so it happens very often to visit the fridge or pantry before going to sleep.

  • make sure your supply during the day is healthy and above all balanced. This will allow you to feel full and not be tempted by calorie snacks between meals.
  • tries to reduce temptations avoiding keeping snacks and packaged products such as sweets, candies, chips, etc. in the pantry
  • learn to balance pleasure and duty during the day, for example after work, meeting some friends to spend the evening together, can help.

All the advice we have given you works especially when nervous hunger is a passing disturbance due to particular stressful moments we are going through.
If, on the other hand, you notice that nervous hunger attacks are very frequent and above all last over time, better consult a specialist in psychology who with the help of a nutritionist will be able to draw up one adequate therapy to solve the problem.

30 snacks under 100 calories for a guilt-free snack!© iStock
1 oatmeal cookie = 65 calories© iStock
1 apple = 85 calories© iStock
3 tablespoons of hummus = 80 calories© iStock
100 g of grapes = 66 calories© iStock
1 small banana = 90 calories© iStock
1 serving of kale chips = 100 calories© iStock
50g of blueberries = 22 calories© iStock
50 g of strawberries = 16 calories© iStock
125g of natural low-fat yogurt = about 50 calories© iStock
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