“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten birthday cake because it is there, not because I’m hungry,” she said. Harman says there are several reasons people eat - social occasions, celebrations, boredom, stress - but there are a few good reasons people should eat: nourishment, sensation of hunger, to meet health requirements and health goals. “We typically throw this term around loosely when we want something to eat, not when we actually need something,” Harman said. It may cause you to feel empty, or your stomach may rumble. Hunger is a physical sensation experienced only when the body needs food. Fernandez, Ph.D., and Tara Harman, M.S., RDN, an instructor in the department, have insight into the science behind hunger and how to recognize cues the body sends when you are full.

Two nutrition researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham claim that hunger cues go well beyond your stomach’s rumbling and grumbling - it has more to do with your overall mindfulness.ĭepartment of Nutrition Sciences Professor José R. Two nutrition researchers at UAB claim that hunger cues go well beyond your stomach’s rumbling and grumbling - it has more to do with your overall mindfulness.Do you ever notice that sometimes you eat when you are not actually hungry? Or that, all of a sudden, you can be “hangry”? If so, it is likely you are missing your body’s hunger cues.

Mind over matter origin