As autumn approaches, our daily routines begin to change: daylight hours decrease, our schedules shift and, for many of us, the amount of time spent outdoors is reduced. The way we eat can change too. We may find ourselves feeling hungrier or craving sweet, energy-dense foods more often. However, these signals do not necessarily need to be seen as a problem to overcome. Hunger is a message from our body, influenced by many different factors: from the composition of our meals to stress, from sleep to the characteristics of the foods we eat. Learning to recognise hunger can help us manage it with greater awareness and peace of mind.
Emotional hunger: when emotions influence our appetite
We do not always eat because our body needs energy. Sometimes the desire for food is triggered by emotions, tension, boredom or tiredness. This is what we commonly refer to as “emotional hunger”: it can arise suddenly and lead us towards particularly rewarding foods, such as sweets, savoury snacks or foods high in fat and sugar.
Stress can also play a role. When we are under pressure, our body activates a series of hormonal responses that help us cope with challenging situations. One of these involves the production of cortisol. While this mechanism is useful in emergency situations, it can become less beneficial when stress persists over time.
Deadlines, worries, family problems, hectic schedules: there are many sources of stress in our lives today, and often we cannot simply eliminate them. In some people, stress can increase hunger and the desire for particularly energy-dense foods.
This is why, when a sudden urge to eat arises, asking ourselves, “Why can’t I control myself?” may not always be helpful. It may be more useful to ask, “What do I really need right now?” Perhaps it is food, but it could also be a break, some rest, physical activity or simply a different way to relieve tension.
Metabolic hunger: when the body needs energy
Physiological hunger is a natural signal from our body. It tells us that it is time to take in energy and nutrients. It can become particularly intense when too much time passes between meals or when our meals are not well balanced.
Take breakfast, for example: crispbread with jam, perhaps accompanied only by coffee or tea, is a convenient choice and certainly not a “wrong” one, but it mainly provides carbohydrates and may not keep us feeling full for very long.
This is where the concept of the glycaemic index also comes into play. It describes how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food tends to raise blood glucose levels. When a meal consists mainly of readily available carbohydrates, the glycaemic response may be faster and the feeling of fullness may not last as long.
However, we should not turn the glycaemic index into yet another number to worry about.
In everyday life, what matters most is how we put our meals together: protein, fibre and fats can slow down digestion and the absorption of carbohydrates, helping to produce a more gradual glycaemic response and a longer-lasting feeling of fullness.
So, if we find ourselves hungry shortly after a breakfast consisting only of crispbread and jam, it is not necessarily a matter of “emotional hunger” or a lack of self-control. Our breakfast may simply not have been complete enough for our needs.
Adding yoghurt, milk or ricotta, for example, together with a small amount of nuts and some whole fruit, can help create a more balanced meal. Choosing wholegrain bread or cereals, which are less refined and richer in fibre, can also contribute to a more gradual response and longer-lasting satiety.
The same applies to other meals. Protein and fibre play an important role in regulating appetite, as do the overall quantity of food we eat and its composition.
This can help us look at episodes of intense hunger differently: they do not necessarily indicate a lack of willpower. Sometimes, they are simply our body’s response to not having received enough of what it needs.
Foods that keep us fuller for longer
When we think about satiety, calories are often the first thing that comes to mind. But the picture is more complex. The composition of a meal, the presence of protein and fibre, its water content, as well as the physical structure of the food and the speed at which we eat all play a role.
An interesting study published in 2026 compared four types of meals with the same energy content but different textures and levels of processing. Meals with a firmer texture were eaten more slowly and required more chewing. Participants who ate this type of meal reported feeling fuller and, two hours later, consumed less food between meals.
Most interestingly, the observed effect did not appear to depend simply on whether a food was classified as fresh, processed or ultra-processed. Texture and eating speed appeared to play an important role.
However, we should be careful not to turn this finding into another absolute rule. This was an experimental study conducted on 43 healthy men and does not demonstrate that food texture alone determines our body weight. Rather, the research provides another piece of the puzzle in understanding just how complex the mechanisms behind satiety are.
In everyday life, however, we can take one simple suggestion from it: eat slowly, chew thoroughly and make room on our plates for foods that require some chewing, such as whole fruit, vegetables, pulses, whole grains and certain sources of protein.
Hunger or appetite?
For much of human history, hunger was a very real threat. Even today, true hunger – caused by a lack of food and an inability to access adequate nutrition – affects hundreds of millions of people around the world.
In our everyday lives, however, we use the same word to describe different experiences.
Hunger is primarily a biological need. Appetite is the desire to eat. We may have an appetite because we smell a freshly baked cake, because it is time for an afternoon snack or because we are eating in company, even when our body does not actually need more energy. And we can feel hungry without craving any particular food.
These signals are regulated by a complex dialogue between the brain, digestive system, adipose tissue and hormones. Ghrelin, which is mainly produced in the stomach, contributes to feelings of hunger; leptin communicates information about the body’s energy stores; insulin plays a role in metabolism; and stress and cortisol can also affect appetite.
So we are not dealing with a simple switch that can be turned on or off through willpower alone.
Don’t fight hunger: learn to listen to it
Perhaps we should also change the way we talk about hunger.
Hunger is not the enemy. It is one of the ways our body communicates with us. Nor is appetite necessarily something that needs to be suppressed: eating is about nourishment, but also pleasure, relationships and culture.
The goal should not be to never feel hungry, nor should we feel guilty every time we crave something sweet. Instead, we can learn to recognise these signals, understand where they come from and respond to them appropriately.
As autumn arrives, we can simply pay attention to what changes: less daylight, different daily routines, shifting schedules and perhaps less time spent being active outdoors. Research suggests that these factors can influence appetite and eating habits, although the extent varies from person to person.
There is therefore no need to be alarmed if we feel a little hungrier at this time of year or find ourselves craving something sweet more often. Instead, we can ask ourselves how to create meals that genuinely satisfy us, how to respect our body’s signals and how to find a healthy balance without being overly restrictive.
IN PRACTICE | 6 simple ways to manage hunger better
1. Don’t wait until you are extremely hungry to eat.
Eating regular meals can help prevent hunger from suddenly becoming very intense.
2. Build balanced, complete meals.
Combine a source of carbohydrates with a source of protein, vegetables or fruit, and some healthy fats.
3. Choose less refined, fibre-rich foods more often.
Whole grains, pulses, vegetables and whole fruit can help make meals more filling.
4. Slow down.
Eating while seated, taking your time and chewing thoroughly gives your body time to register signals of fullness.
5. When you crave something sweet, ask yourself why.
Is it hunger? Appetite? Tiredness? Stress? The aim is not to judge yourself, but to better understand what you need.
6. Don’t let one episode become a source of guilt.
A sweet treat, a larger-than-usual snack or a day that differs from your normal routine will not undermine an overall balanced diet. What matters is what we do over time.
Carla Barzanò
Carla Barzanò, dietitian and journalist, is an expert in food education and the author of several books dedicated to children and families. Since 1989, she has led cooking and tasting workshops for both adults and children.
She has designed and coordinated numerous taste education projects, continuously monitored and updated through an action-research methodology, with the aim of enhancing the everyday dimensions of eating. Through these initiatives, she has engaged with a wide and diverse audience across all age groups.
She is committed to promoting practices for sustainable nutrition in line with the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
