This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.
First of all, hunger is not a joke. Let’s start there.
I don’t mean poverty hunger, I mean that kind of personal, silent, slow-burning hunger where your body is literally screaming for help, and you, yes, you, are just sitting there trying to “drink water instead.” Like it’s a demon you can rebuke.
Let me guess: You don’t trust your body anymore. Because you’ve either ignored it for too long, or you’ve punished it for asking for too much.
And now? You’re either eating to shut yourself up, or you’re starving to feel in control.
📋 Table of Contents
The Key Takeaway.
Your hunger isn’t the enemy. Your disconnection is. You stopped listening to your body because the world taught you to shut it down. You were told to shrink it. Mute it. Distrust it. But what if I told you the way back to yourself is right through that hunger you keep trying to avoid?
Why Everyone’s Teaching Mindful Eating WRONG.
Most people teaching “mindful eating” sound like they’ve never battled food in their life. They’ll say stuff like:
- “Eat slowly, chew 32 times, sit in silence, be grateful for your kale.”
- Uhm… what if I’m eating a bag of chips on the floor in a towel after a breakdown?
- What if I’ve skipped three meals and my stomach is growling louder than a tiger’s roar?
- What if all I feel is shame and panic, and someone wants me to feel “gratitude” before every bite?
Please be for real.
Mindful eating is what happens after you’ve eaten too much or not enough. It’s what starts when you finally stop punishing yourself with food or the lack of it.
How to Listen to Your Body’s Hunger Cues.
Forget everything you’ve been told.
And I mean everything. Because they lied to you.
- Hunger isn’t weakness.
- Wanting more food isn’t greed.
- Eating alone at 2AM isn’t a sin.
- Wanting snacks even when you just ate isn’t a moral failure.
It’s a body trying to speak. But we’ve been trained to override it.
Drink water. Distract yourself. Count to 10. Push through.
Do everything but actually listen.
Yeah, yeah, but what about the other hunger cues?
- That weird, low-key rage that creeps in for no reason.
- That sudden need to cry when your food order is delayed.
- That dull headache that shows up like a petty ex.
- That blurry, brain-foggy “I can’t think straight” energy.
- That scroll-scroll-scroll-on-TikTok feeling where you’re full of nothing.
That’s hunger too. Emotional, physical, sensory, it’s all your body. It’s all valid.
How to Reconnect With Hunger Without Losing Your Mind.
- Don’t wait till you’re starving. Hunger doesn’t have to be dramatic to be real. Catch it early. Your body whispers before it screams.
- Eat when you’re hungry. Not when you’re “allowed.” I used to wait until 6PM because “OMAD” (one meal a day) sounded cool. Meanwhile, my body was dying for a banana at 11AM. Eat the damn banana.
- Ask: Why am I craving this? Sometimes it’s boredom. Sometimes it’s a blood sugar dip. Sometimes it’s “I miss my mom.” No judgment, just observation.
- Check how you feel after eating. Not “Did I overeat?”But: Am I calmer? Do I feel loved? Did that help? This changes everything.
- Eat food that feels safe. You don’t need green juice and salmon. Maybe your body needs jollof and boiled egg because that’s home. That’s safety. That’s regulation.
And This is Deeper Than Just Food.
To be honest, this isn’t about food. It never was.
- It’s about how much of yourself you’re allowed to feel.
- How much softness you allow in.
- How much permission you give your own body to exist without shame.
Food is just the battleground.
Control, worth, fear, perfection, all those demons? They use your plate as a playground.
That’s why healing is messy.
- One day you’ll binge.
- One day you’ll restrict.
- One day you’ll cry mid-meal.
- One day you’ll feel guilty for enjoying your meal.
- And one day, you’ll just eat, and that’ll be it.
That day won’t be loud, it won’t be dramatic. But you’ll feel peace. And listen, that’s louder than any hunger cue.
Food, when it’s not a weapon, can be one of the most sacred ways to come back home to yourself. Not every hunger is physical and not every fullness is peace. But if you slow down, tune in, and start asking real questions… Your body will answer. It always has.
