“I don’t know what to eat,” ever felt like it? It is not surprising. Many individuals all over the world have the same problem. They feel hungry or get the craving for eating something but do not know what to eat. It is a common problem nowadays.
Do you wish to solve this frequent issue of not knowing what to eat? Then we may help you out. There are many ways that you can help yourself in this matter. This article will teach you how to deal with your “I don’t know what to eat” problem. So let us get started.
Why do we not know what to eat?
Do you know what the cause behind why we do not know what to eat is? To be honest, there is no straight answer to that. Because the reason is different for different individuals. But we can say one thing for sure: it has to do something with the delusions that we have developed.
One of the most common reasons that we do not know what to eat is that we are not actually hungry. Your body is completely fine at that moment. Your mind is having an emotional craving, and thus you may feel hungry.
This tends to happen to those who have used food to cope with emotional discomforts such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Sometimes, you may not feel like it, but you are actually emotionally disturbed, and that is what’s making you think you are hungry.
Another reason for not knowing what to eat and feeling hungry is that you are thirsty. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that dehydration can trigger your hypothalamus, the part of the brain that monitors the appetite and thirst of your body. If you wish to know whether this is the case, then just drink a glass of water. Then wait for 10 minutes. If you don’t feel hungry after that, then it means that you were just thirsty.
How to deal with the “I don’t know what to eat” situation
It is normal for someone to develop a situation where he does not know what to eat. There are many factors at work here. If you frequently face this problem, you will be happy to know that it can be done quite easily.
You can combat such scenarios by following some simple steps. What are they? Let’s have a look, shall we?
Step 1: Determine whether the hunger is physical or emotional
First, we need to determine whether you are actually hungry or are craving food emotionally. As we discussed in the previous section, these scenarios generally involve the individual not actually hungry.
They either feel emotional discomforts like stress, anxiety, or depression, or they are thirsty (The hypothalamus monitors both appetite and thirst).
It is difficult to tell them apart right away. So here is what you need to do to find out what is causing hunger. We recommend you first drink a glass of water and wait about 10 minutes. If your hunger is gone, then you are just thirsty. If you are still hungry, then do the following.
First, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Pretend that you are meditating. Try to concentrate on your core and look for signs of hunger. As you look for signs of hunger, also look for sins of emotional discomfort like emptiness, boredom, depression, and stress.
Take several deep and intentional breaths and try to find out what you are feeling in the core.
Sometimes you may feel both physical hunger and also emotional hunger. It is nothing to be afraid of. It is quite normal. You need to determine which symptoms are taking a greater load on your core.
If you find that emotional hunger symptoms are greater, you are emotionally hungry. Your body does not need food then. The best thing to do then leaves the kitchen and tackle your emotional discomfort differently.
Try listening to music or watching a movie. Read a journal, or do anything that is your hobby. Try to cheer yourself up with any activity other than eating. This will surely make the hungry feeling go away.
If your physical hunger symptoms like growling and starving, you are truly hungry, and your body needs food. Follow the second step.
Step 2: If you are hungry, then decide what kind of food do you want by asking yourself some questions
If you are truly hungry and do not know what to eat, you need to figure out what you want to eat first. It can be done by asking a few questions to yourself.
Here is some advice before you start. As you’re hungry, leave all judgments about foods containing fats behind. Just answer the questions with your heart, not with your brain.
SO let us start with the texture of the food. What do you want to eat? Something crunchy, smooth, creamy, or slimy? Then ask what the flavor should be. Then ask whether it is cold or warm food. This way, you will have a general idea of what kind of snack you want to eat.
Step 3: Prepare/ order the meal/ snack based on step 2
Now, based on the answers from step 2, you will create a criteria list. For example, something crunchy, spicy, and warm. Based on these criteria, it can be a burger, french fries, or any other spicy fast food.
Also, try to ensure that the food/ snack has enough protein, healthy fat, carb, and fiber.
Some tips regarding what to eat when you don’t know what to eat
Here are some tips that may come in handy when you don’t know what to eat.
- Eat foods that are about to expire. That way, those foods won’t get wasted later
- Consider eating the leftovers in your refrigerator in such scenarios
- Try to prevent fat-based foods (e.g., cheese) as they will make you chubby
- Try to avoid eating if it is an emotional craving
Conclusion
So this marks the end of our guideline of what to do when I don’t know what to eat. We hope that it has proven helpful for you. Remember that hunger is not always caused by starvation. It is better to avoid eating if it is an emotional craving.
Follow our guidelines to determine whether it is real hunger or emotional craving.
