The Hidden Hunger We Ignore: What Are You Truly Hungry For?
- Maja Kazazic
- Jan 29
- 2 min read
For years, I worked with patients who came to me believing they were hungry for food. But as we talked, I began to see a pattern—most of them weren’t just hungry for a meal; they were hungry for something deeper. They were hungry for connection, validation, purpose, and meaning.
In Hungry for More, I explore the idea that hunger goes far beyond food. We often try to fill emotional voids with external solutions—whether that’s eating, shopping, working, or striving for success. But what if we stopped to ask ourselves:
💭 “What am I really hungry for?”
The Different Types of Hunger
Most of us experience hunger daily, but rarely do we stop to consider what kind of hunger we’re feeling. I’ve found that hunger generally falls into these categories:
🔹 Physical Hunger – The body’s natural cue for nourishment, often mistaken for emotional hunger.
🔹 Emotional Hunger – A craving for comfort, connection, or distraction, often masked as a need for food.
🔹 Spiritual Hunger – A deeper yearning for meaning, purpose, or belonging in life.
🔹 Intellectual Hunger – The need for growth, learning, and personal development.
Too often, we try to satisfy these deeper hungers with quick fixes—overeating, scrolling social media, overworking—only to find ourselves still empty.
How to Identify Your True Hunger
So, how do we determine what we’re really hungry for? Here are three powerful steps I use with my patients and share in my book:
1️⃣ Pause Before Reacting – The next time you feel an urge to eat, consume, or distract yourself, take a deep breath. Ask yourself, “Is this physical hunger, or something else?”
2️⃣ Get Curious About Your Feelings – If it’s not physical hunger, what’s coming up for you? Are you feeling lonely, stressed, unfulfilled? Identifying the emotion is the first step to meeting the real need.
3️⃣ Feed the Right Hunger – If you’re craving connection, call a friend. If you need inspiration, engage in something creative. If your body is truly hungry, nourish it with food. The key is responding appropriately to your true hunger.
Why This Matters
Ignoring our deeper hunger leads to a cycle of temporary fixes and ongoing dissatisfaction. But when we tune in to what our mind, body, and soul are really asking for, we start making choices that truly nourish us.
In Hungry for More, I share stories, insights, and science-backed strategies to help you identify and honor your deepest needs.
Final Thoughts: Listen to Your Hunger
The next time you reach for something—food, distraction, work—pause and ask: “What am I really hungry for?” The answer might surprise you.
🔥 As a keynote speaker, I love helping audiences explore this deeper hunger. If your organization, team, or event is ready for a fresh perspective on fulfillment, let’s talk!
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