How to Not Be Hungry All the Time

Co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS

Last Updated: March 9, 2023 References Approved

It can be frustrating to feel as though you eat all the time, and yet you are always hungry. There are several factors that lead to these feelings of persistent hunger. They include eating the wrong kinds of foods, having underlying health problems, and mistaking emotional hunger for physical hunger. Addressing the cause of your feelings of hunger can help you overcome the feeling and live a healthier lifestyle.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Eating the Right Foods

1
Eat a balanced diet. You may feel hungry if you are not receiving the nutritional benefits of a balanced diet. Be sure that you eat items from each of the food groups. You should get plenty of vegetables and fruit, lean proteins, and whole grains, as well as a moderate amount of healthy oils and fats.^{[1]
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- A balanced breakfast could be a half a cup of whole-grain oatmeal with a drizzle of honey, a cup of fresh strawberries, and a half a cup of cottage cheese.
- A healthy lunch could be a salad of dark mixed greens with dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and crumbled cheese such as feta or goat cheese. You can make your own dressing or opt for a reduced-calorie dressing. Don’t like salads? Make a wrap! Wrap up those greens, cranberries, and sunflower seeds into a pita or a whole grain tortilla. You could also add a lean meat such as turkey to the wrap, and drizzle a little dressing on it.
- A balanced dinner could be a 4-oz serving of meat or fish, two vegetables, and a whole grain. For example, you could have grilled salmon, wild rice, roasted or steamed broccoli, and roasted butternut squash.
2
Eat voluminous foods. Foods that have a lot of air or water in them have greater volume. These will make you feel full faster and will give you the sensation of eating a larger quantity, which may help if you feel hungry. Some foods with higher volume include:^{[2]
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- Legumes
- Soup
- Vegetables
- Popcorn
- Fresh fruit
- Whole grains
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3
Eat salad before meals. Lettuce has a high water content, so eating a salad with light dressing prior to your meal can help you fill up faster and feel less hungry after your meal.^{[3]
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- A salad doesn’t have to be complicated to be tasty. Try tossing some mixed greens in lemon juice and olive oil, then topping with a few cherry tomatoes.
- If you are feeling more ambitious or creative, try mixing fruits and vegetables into your salad. You could make a salad that includes fresh blueberries or strawberries along with sweet peppers or marinated beets.
4
Eat healthy snacks. Snacking on high-energy snacks such as fruit and nuts can help you feel less hungry between meals. Nuts make an especially good filler snack because their healthy fat and protein content digests slowly, giving you more energy than a sugary snack.^{[4]
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5
Sip water between bites of food. Sometimes increasing the amount of water you drink can help you eat less. Drinking plenty of water before a meal and continuing to sip water while you eat will help you feel fuller without overeating.^{[5]
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- If you tire of drinking water, try mixing up your routine with other options that are calorie-free. You could substitute seltzer water for plain water occasionally.
- Drinking green tea in place of water can give you a break from plain water. Green tea also acts as an antioxidant, which can contribute to weight loss.
6
Avoid junk food. Junk food, processed food that is high in fat, salt, and sugar, makes you feel hungrier when you eat it. It is also designed to stimulate your taste buds and leads, essentially, to addiction and overeating.^{[6]
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- Foods high in fat cause a chemical reaction in your brain that signals you to eat more, even though you're likely not really hungry.^{[7]
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- Over-processing foods strips the foods of their nutrients. Your body needs nutrient-rich foods to run efficiently,so it will send a hunger signal even if you just ate a meal or snack with 1000 calories in it.^{[8]
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- Eating salty foods can lead you to crave sweet foods, so you end up eating twice as many snacks as you need.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Avoiding Emotional Eating

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Distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. This may be surprising, but emotional hunger can easily mask itself as physical hunger. Knowing the differences between the two can help you make appropriate food choices. Here are some ways in which the two kinds of hunger differ:
- Physical hunger slowly builds, while emotional hunger is sudden and immediate.
- Physical hunger is not specific to a type of food, while emotional hunger may manifest as an intense craving for a specific food or food type.
- Emotional hunger can be triggered by boredom, while physical hunger isn’t. Try occupying yourself with another activity. If the hunger goes away, it was emotional. If it persists, it could be physical.
2
Calm specific food cravings. Sometimes, a craving for a specific food can seem overwhelming. It’s okay to respond to such a craving; just acknowledge that the craving is likely emotional and not tied to true hunger.
- Indulge in a little bit of what you’re craving. Have a killer craving for French fries? Get a small order and savor them slowly. Want chocolate? Get a couple of small squares of dark chocolate and nibble on them between sips of coffee or tea.
- Substitute similar foods. Craving salty potato chips? Try substituting salted nuts, which may satisfy your salt craving while offering protein and healthy fat, which will keep you full longer.^{[9]
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  Research source} This can cut down on your desire to snack later. Craving fried chicken? Try breading and oven baking chicken, which can offer a similar texture to fried chicken. Want something sweet? Eat fresh, seasonal fruit.
3
Delay eating. If you are beginning to feel as though you want to snack, try to delay eating for a little while. Some tricks that can help you reduce your feelings of hunger until your next meal include:
- Smelling fruit. Sniffing an apple or a banana can temporarily satisfy feelings of hunger.^{[10]
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- Looking at the color blue. The color blue acts as an appetite suppressant, while red, orange, and yellow increase appetite. Surround yourself with blue while you adjust to a new eating schedule.^{[11]
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- Going for a walk. If you feel ready to snack, try going for a brisk, 15-minute walk (preferably outdoors) instead. This can distract you from your desire to snack and you will benefit from the exercise.^{[12]
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4
Reduce your stress levels. Increased stress causes your body to create more cortisol, which causes you to feel hungry. Decreasing your stress can lessen the amount of cortisol and make you feel less hungry. The following are some suggestions for stress reduction:^{[13]
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- Listen to music. Many people find music therapeutic. Make yourself a stress-free playlist, and take a mental break by listening to it periodically.
- Laugh more. Laughing reduces your stress and makes you feel happier. Next time you feel stress-related hunger, try calling your funny friend or watching a hilarious new viral YouTube video of a baby or a cat (whatever makes you laugh).
- Meditate or pray. Nourishing your spiritual side through meditation or prayer can help reduce your stress. Set aside time that you can be alone and quiet with your thoughts every day.
- Get exercise. Getting plenty of exercise can reduce your stress and help cut down on boredom-related hunger. Even walking for 30 minutes every day can make a huge difference to your emotional and physical health.
5
Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is good for your mental and physical health. It can help lower your stress, help you deal with increased stress more effectively, and will help you stay healthier in general. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Identifying Medical Disorders

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Avoid hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can cause you to feel hungry. It can also cause shaking and lightheadedness. You can have your blood sugar tested with a glucose monitor, or you can treat the effects of hypoglycemia with dietary changes.^{[14]
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- Eat small meals frequently.^{[15]
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- Avoid sugary foods. Even though “low blood sugar” makes it sound like you need sugar, the solution is not foods that are high in sugar. Instead, choose foods that have sustained, longer energy release.
2
Get tested for diabetes. If you always feel hungry, it’s possible that you have Type 2 Diabetes. This disorder results from the inability of your cells to use insulin to extract sugar from nutrients and allow it to enter your bloodstream.^{[16]
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- Because your body is not getting adequate nourishment, it sends a signal to your brain asking for more food.
3
Have your thyroid tested. Hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, can also make you feel hungry all of the time. The thyroid controls your metabolism, or the rate at which your body processes food. An overactive thyroid processes food too quickly, causing your body to need more food. ^{[17]
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4
Be wary of eating disorders. If you feel hungry all of the time because you are not receiving adequate nutrition, you may be suffering from an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.^{[18]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Even extreme dieting can be a form of anorexia. If you have a low body weight, you feel unhappy with your body image and have trouble eating, or if you make yourself purge (vomit) after eating, seek immediate help from a mental health professional.