IS THIS STOMACH, MOUTH OR HEART HUNGER?®

By Wendy Shah, RD
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We all need to eat to live, learn, play and be healthy. Food also has many other roles in our lives. For decades, I have worked with adults who struggle with their relationship with food. They feel uncomfortable with what, when or how much they eat. They are concerned about the negative health consequences that result from their eating habits. Unfortunately, to change longstanding eating behaviors can be extremely challenging.

Our relationship with food and eating begins at birth. Drinking milk provides physical comfort to an infant, satisfying his empty stomach. The feeding is also associated with a sense of warmth and security while nestled in the arms of an adult. What a positive experience!

As the child develops, food continues to provide energy and nutrients for his growth and good health. Food starts to play other roles in the child’s life. Food may be offered as a reward, as part of celebrations, as a soothing tool or as a distraction. Add in food marketing messages, eating routines, learnings and possibly medical and diet advice. These associations and messages are filed away in the child’s mind.

The child develops into a ‘mind-full’ eater. As an adult, he is likely unaware of the food and eating information stored in his mind. Yet, these messages and associations have a powerful influence on his food choices and eating behavior. I postulate that it’s important to start early and to teach children skills to help them develop a positive and healthy relationship with food.
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Changing or developing a behavior begins with self-awareness. Self-awareness promotes problem solving and helps us make decisions. A simple, effective technique for eating is to encourage your child to identify the ‘kind of hunger’ they experience when they’re about to eat or are simply thinking of food.
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Consider the following ‘kinds of hunger’. Each of the three kinds of hunger is normal and acceptable.
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• Stomach hunger: This is the physical need for food. Your child is eating for fuel, energy and good health. They are responding to their body’s internal cues for eating.
• Mouth hunger: This is the desire for a specific food taste or texture. It is sometimes called sensory eating. Your child is craving the wonderful pleasure of eating.​
• Heart hunger: This is when your child turns to food in response to how they feel emotionally, not physically. Responding to ‘heart hunger’ with food makes sense. We grow up feeling soothed by food. In fact, eating when we feel stressed or sad can provide a sense of calm and improved mood. Food is also a part of happy occasions, such as celebrations, accomplishments and spending time with others. In other words, ‘heart hunger’ does not need to be avoided. However, your child can learn that there are also many non-food responses to emotional triggers.

Once the kind of hunger is identified, you and your child can learn and experiment with responses that satisfy the ‘hunger’. This helps promote a long-term, positive and healthy relationship with food and eating.

​Visit www.cravingchange.ca/4kids for free downloadable handouts and activity sheets focused on responding to stomach, mouth and heart hunger.

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