Why You’re Always Hungry: Common Nutritional Pitfalls

If you feel like your stomach is a bottomless pit—always rumbling no matter what you eat—you’re not alone. Many people struggle with persistent hunger, even when they think they’re eating enough.

Hunger is an extremely nuanced topic - from hormonal dysfunction to dealing with food noise and emotional reliance on foods, it’s not always easy to figure out what’s driving excessive hunger.

The good news: Often, there are underlying nutritional drivers behind this, and once you recognize them, you can adjust your meals and snacks to feel fuller, longer, and more in control.

1. Skipping or Shorting Protein at Meals

Protein is one of the most satiating macronutrients—it signals fullness to your brain and helps stabilize blood sugar. If your meals are mostly carbs and fats, you’ll likely be hungry soon after. While these macronutrients are also important at each meal, hitting a protein goal is often the greatest challenge for people who find themselves struggling with frequent hunter.

✔️ Try including 20–30 grams of protein at meals: eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, lentils, or tofu.

2. Eating Too Many Refined Carbohydrates and Not Enough Fiber

White bread, pastries, and sugary snacks cause a quick blood sugar spike followed by a crash—which your body interprets as hunger. Why does this happen? Refined carbohydrates are higher in added sugars and often have the fiber (the good stuff that helps you stay full and feeds your healthy gut bacteria) stripped away. While there is still room for refined carbs in a healthy and balanced diet - especially around your workouts - it’s ideal to have these make up less than 20% of your overall carbohydrate intake.

✔️ Swap refined carbs for whole grains like oats, quinoa, and brown rice to stay fuller longer.

Beyond helping with better blood sugar control to reduce hunger, fiber adds bulk and slows digestion, keeping hunger at bay in more ways than one. Most adults fall short of the recommended 25–38 grams daily.

✔️ Some more simple swaps for fiber boosts at your meals:

• Add chia seeds or berries to breakfast

• Load your plate with vegetables at all meals

• Add a tablespoon of chopped nuts to that grain bowl or salad

• My personal favorite - 2 or 3 Medjool dates, pitted, with a little low fat peanut butter. It’s nature’s peanut butter cup!

Want to dive in more to how the order of eating carbs impacts blood sugar? Take a look at this blog from Cornell on recent studies covering this topic!

3. Skipping Healthy Fats

Super low-fat diets can leave you constantly hungry. Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil slow digestion and help you feel satisfied. The big key with healthy fats is to be aware of how much you’re actually consuming - high fat foods can increase our caloric intake without realizing it!

✔️ Add a small portion of healthy fat to each meal for steady energy. Unsure of how to estimate a small portion? Aim for a serving that doesn’t exceed the size of your thumb.

4. Dehydration

Sometimes thirst disguises itself as hunger. Even mild dehydration can trigger cravings. Most people benefit from drinking 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water a day (and contrary to popular belief, coffee and other beverages still count towards this goal!). Some of your water will also come from fresh produce and other foods.

✔️ Don’t wait for your brain to get confused! Try to drink fluids throughout your day - gamify hydration by setting reminders in your day to take a quick walk and water break!

For more details on individual hydration needs, see Mayo Clinic’s post on how much water you really need each day.

5. Inconsistent Eating Patterns

If you skip meals or eat at irregular times, your body’s hunger hormones. ghrelin and leptin, can get thrown off balance. While some people don’t notice significant hunger pangs or thoughts around food when skipping meals, many do! The good news about this is that it’s simple enough to correct!

✔️ Aim for structured meal times: 2-3 balanced meals + 1–2 planned snacks, instead of grazing all day.

6. Emotional or Stress-Related Hunger

Hunger isn’t always physical. Stress, boredom, or emotions can trigger cravings for comfort foods. Stay tuned for a more in depth look at ways to combat this in the next few weeks.

✔️ Strategy: Check in with yourself. Are you physically hungry or seeking comfort? Journaling, a short walk, or mindful breathing can help reset.

Are you certain you’re struggling with emotional or stress-relating eating issues that you worry will impact your health? Book your first nutrition counseling session to regain your sense of peace around food.

7. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Poor sleep increases hunger hormones, leading to stronger cravings—especially for carb-heavy foods. I don’t know about you, but when I fall short of a full night’s sleep, I can notice myself craving all my favorite sweets throughout the day, and even if I indulge, I still feel exhausted. The Sleep Foundation does a great job of explaining the link between poor sleep and increased caloric intake here.

✔️ Prioritize 7–9 hours of quality sleep to help regulate appetite and improve energy.

Putting It All Together

If you’re constantly hungry, the cause may not be willpower—it’s often nutritional imbalance or lifestyle triggers. By building meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, staying hydrated, and keeping regular sleep and meal routines, you’ll feel fuller, more satisfied, and better able to reach your health goals.

If hunger is interfering with your wellness or weight management, The Rooted Dietitian can help. Through personalized counseling, meal planning, and education, we’ll uncover your unique triggers and build strategies that work for your lifestyle.

👉 Book your appointment today to start feeling in control of your hunger and energy.