Why am I eating when I'm not hungry?

Food is more than fuel and represents so many aspects. We don't just eat when we're hungry because we're not robots and our lives are complex. Let's review and give you tools for your toolbox.

Are you hungry, or are you thirsty?

Are you hungry, or are you bored?

Are you hungry, or are you tired?

And if you are hungry, have you tried ignoring it completely? I mean eating is so déclassé.

Have you ever thought about the mental gymnastics that we do in order to decide if we have earned a right to eat? I mean seriously, even if we are hungry and our bodies are signaling to us that we need food, we often go through a checklist to see if we should, in fact, eat something. Imagine doing a mental checklist every time you felt the need to go to the bathroom. Feeling as though you had to earn this right that we need to do as humans. It is a completely nonsensical thing to think about, but we seem always to do this in regard to food and eating.

Photo by Tamas Pap on Unsplash

None of this is a surprise, really, because we are always discussing “overconsumption,” and according to society, we are obsessed with food. But my question is, are we obsessed, or are we giving ourselves too many food rules? Are we obsessed, or are we overcomplicating things to the point where everyone is confused about nourishment? It’s not a surprise really on why there is so much confusion, I mean, yes, diet culture is the glaring answer, but I think there are so many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to social media as well. This means that we have an abundance of information available at our fingertips and everyone is giving their opinion on what to do based on their individual bodies. I imagine it does get confusing when you are seeking advice, and someone is telling you not to eat one way while another person is telling you to do the complete opposite. 

Taboo (adj.) - prohibited or restricted by social custom.

The concept of eating is treated as a taboo subject. This definition isn’t too far-