We’ve all experienced it. It’s lunchtime, your stomach is growling, but you just can’t get yourself to eat. You are hungry, but nothing sounds good! You try looking in the fridge, in the cabinets, in the freezer, and nothing is doing it for you.
Believe me, I get you. In fact this is rather common!
Just as we crave certain foods even when we are super full, it’s also normal to not crave any foods when you are super hungry. Our bodies are strange like that. But, luckily, I have some tips and tricks for you when you stumble into this situation.
What does it mean when you’re hungry but nothing sounds good?
First off, when you are hungry and nothing sounds good, does this mean something is wrong with you? For the most part, the answer is going to be no. It’s fairly normal, and even common, to be hungry even when you don’t have a taste for anything. But, there are a few situations that may be grounds for concern.
For example, do you not have an appetite due to nausea? Or vomiting?
In these cases, you may be physically hungry, but you feeling sick makes it hard for you to want to eat. A little nausea here or there is no need for concern, but if it continues for more than a month, or it significantly reduces the amount of food you are consuming, it’s time to see a doctor.
If you do experience nausea occasionally, try these home remedies:
- Ginger: teas, soda, candies
- CBD: tincture, edibles, vape
- Peppermint: tea, candies, essential oil
- Lemon: tea, essential oil
- Cardamom: tea, seasoning, supplement, essential oil
If you are not experiencing any kind of nausea and vomiting, but still don’t have a taste for anything, it’s not going to be a huge deal. But, again, if you are eating significantly less food for more than a few weeks due to this issue, it still may be time to visit a doctor to check up on everything.
Now that we have gone over possible reasons you are hungry but nothing sounds good, we can chat about ways to combat this!
Should you eat if you’re hungry but nothing sounds good?
That answer to this is a resounding… YES! You should absolutely eat when you are hungry, whether you have a taste for something or not. We naturally have this amazing ability to know when to eat and how much to eat to avoid starvation, how amazing! The more we follow our hunger and fullness cues, the most in tune we are with the signals our bodies are giving us.
In fact, some studies show that those who are repeatedly ignoring their hunger and fullness cues, such as dieters, tend to lose their ability to know when they are hungry or full over time.Therefore, it is so, so important to eat when we are hungry. Your body will thank you! If you want to learn more about this, I strongly suggest you learn more about intuitive eating, which focuses on reading your body’s internal cues instead of what you “think” you should eat.
So, when you are feeling hungry, but nothing sounds good, it is still very important to eat. But, it can be difficult to find out what to eat that sounds somewhat appetizing to you. That when the next part comes in.
How do you figure out what to eat?
Ok, so you know why you are hungry but nothing sounds good, or you know why it’s important to eat when you are hungry, but now you need to figure out what to eat.
Now, this can be difficult if you’ve rummaged through your whole kitchen and still can’t think of anything you’d like to eat. If you find yourself in this situation, I’d suggest you try a few of the following things:
- Go on Pinterest (yes seriously). Search “dinner ideas” or “lunch ideas” or even just “meal ideas”. Scroll through for a few minutes. I also guarantee you will find something that sounds delicious. Then, try your best to make some form of this at home or go out to grab something at the store. I understand this may not always be a realistic option, but if you can, this is a great way to get yourself to eat.
- Always keep your favorite foods on hand. I’ll tell you, it doesn’t matter if I have zero appetite, I will almost always go for a bowl of macaroni and cheese or a slice of pizza. If you have certain foods like this, keep them on hand! Same with snacks. You can always make a healthier version of macaroni and cheese or pizza as well if you’d like.
- Take a few minutes to drink some cold water and take a few deep breaths. Sometimes your head is so full of everything going on in the day, that it’s hard to get in tune with our bodies. Try taking a second to relax and refocus your energy. Sometimes this is all you need!
I understand that it may be frustrating, but I promise you, you will be able to think of something that sounds good to you. Another quick tip, always plan ahead and get enough food at the store to last you the whole week.
Often, nothing sounds good because you’ve got nothing good in your house to eat! Planning ahead and having tasty meals ready to go can greatly help with this.
I know, it can be incredibly frustrating when you are hungry but nothing sounds good. It’s understandable. Follow the tips laid out in this article and see if they help!
