Grade by Grade
C. Healthy Living · Healthy Living: Choices, Connections and Well-Being

What Shapes How You Eat: Physical and Emotional Factors in Eating Habits

C2.1 C2.2 1.1 1.5About 65 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain physical factors that shape my eating habits, such as hunger cues, growth, activity, sleep and health conditions.
  • I can explain emotional and social factors that shape my eating habits, such as stress, boredom, mood and routines.
  • I can tell the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger, and use the hunger and fullness scale.
  • I can use self-awareness to pick one realistic change that supports my health.

Words to know

eating habits
The patterns in when, what, how much and why you eat, repeated over days and weeks.
hunger cues
Body signals that you need food: a growling stomach, low energy, trouble concentrating, irritability.
satiety
The feeling of being satisfied and no longer hungry after eating.
emotional eating
Eating to cope with a feeling (stress, boredom, sadness) rather than physical hunger.
mindful eating
Paying attention while you eat: slowing down, noticing taste and fullness, without screens or judgment.
intuitive cues
Your own signals of hunger and fullness, which work best when you eat regularly and pay attention to them.

Why did you eat that?

Think about the last thing you ate. Were you hungry? Or was it 4 p.m., you were bored, and the chips were right there? Maybe you skipped lunch because of a test, then ate a huge dinner fast. All of these are eating habits.

In Grade 10, the healthy eating part of this course asks you to look closely at your own eating: the physical and emotional factors behind your habits, the effects of different dietary choices, and how to use reliable information to make informed food choices (overall expectation C2). This lesson is about the why behind your habits.

Remember from Grade 9

In Grade 9 you learned the six kinds of nutrients, how energy needs change with activity and growth, how to read a Nutrition Facts table and % Daily Value, and how family, culture, friends, media, cost and access influence food choices. This year we turn inward: what is going on in your body and your mind when you eat.

Physical factors

  • Hunger and fullness cues. Your body sends signals that it needs fuel and that it has had enough. These cues work best when you eat regularly and pay attention.
  • Growth. The teen years are a time of fast growth. Needs for energy, protein, calcium and iron are high, so appetite often goes up. That is normal.
  • Activity level. A day with a two-hour practice needs more food than a quiet day.
  • Sleep. When you are short on sleep, you may feel hungrier and crave sugary or high-fat foods. Teens 14 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours a night.
  • Thirst. Mild thirst can feel like hunger. Water first is a simple check.
  • Health conditions and medications. Food allergies, celiac disease, diabetes and some medications change what or when a person eats. These are managed with a doctor or registered dietitian.
  • Skipping meals. Going a long time without eating often leads to feeling too hungry, eating quickly and eating past full.
The hunger and fullness scale12345678910Starving,shaky, dizzyHungry:time to eatSatisfied,comfortableFull: timeto stopStuffed,uncomfortableAim to start eating around 3 or 4 and stop around 6 or 7.
Rate your hunger from 1 (starving) to 10 (stuffed). The middle zone, around 5 and 6, feels comfortable. Waiting until 1 or 2 makes it hard to stop at a comfortable point.

Emotional and social factors

  • Stress (tests, conflict, a busy schedule) can make some people eat more and others lose their appetite.
  • Boredom and habit: snacking in front of a screen, eating because it's "that time".
  • Mood: comfort foods when sad or lonely; celebrations with food when happy.
  • Routines and people: family meals, eating with friends, what your team eats after games. Canada's Food Guide encourages eating meals with others and enjoying your food.
  • Body image messages: pressure to look a certain way can push people to skip meals or follow extreme diets. Food is for nourishment, energy and enjoyment, not for punishing or rewarding yourself.

Emotional eating now and then is normal. Food is part of comfort and celebration in every culture. It becomes a problem when food is the only way someone copes, or when eating feels out of control.

Physical hunger or emotional hunger?Physical hungerbuilds up graduallymany foods would dofelt in the body:growling, low energystops when you're fullleaves you satisfiedEmotional hungercomes on suddenlycraves one foodfelt as a feeling:bored, stressed, sadeasy to keep eatingmay bring guiltBoth are normal. Noticing which one you feel gives you a choice.
Physical hunger builds gradually and many foods would satisfy it; emotional hunger often arrives suddenly and wants one particular food.

When to talk to someone

If someone often skips meals, feels intense guilt or fear around food, makes themselves throw up, or feels out of control while eating, these can be warning signs of an eating disorder, a serious mental illness that can be treated. Talk to a trusted adult or doctor. Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868) is also there 24/7.

Worked example

Let's analyse Mateo's Tuesday

Mateo, 15, skips breakfast because he's running late. At lunch he's in a group project meeting and eats only a granola bar. After basketball practice at 5 p.m. he's at a 2 on the hunger scale and eats a family-size bag of chips while gaming, then isn't hungry for dinner. Identify the physical and emotional factors, and suggest changes.

  1. Physical factors: no breakfast and a tiny lunch on a day with practice (high energy need); by 5 p.m. he is at 2 (very hungry), which makes stopping at a comfortable point hard.
  2. Emotional or habit factors: eating while gaming (distracted, so fullness cues are easy to miss); a busy, rushed day.
  3. Pattern: skip → overly hungry → eat fast and a lot → skip the balanced meal. This cycle repeats easily.
  4. Changes: a quick breakfast he can grab (overnight oats, a whole grain wrap with peanut butter and a banana); a packed snack before practice (yogurt and fruit); after practice, a planned snack at the table, not in front of a screen; then dinner with his family.

Mateo's habits are driven mostly by skipping meals and distracted eating, not by a lack of willpower. Small planning changes break the cycle.

Worked example

Let's use the pause question

It's 9 p.m. during exam week. Aisha finished dinner at 6:30 and suddenly really wants cookies while studying. How can she use self-awareness to decide?

  1. Pause and rate: "Where am I on the hunger scale?" She says 6: not physically hungry.
  2. Name the feeling: "I'm stressed about tomorrow's math exam and tired of studying."
  3. Ask what she needs: a break, reassurance, or rest.
  4. Choose: take a 10-minute walk or stretch, text a friend, drink some water, and if she still wants a cookie, have one at the table and enjoy it without guilt. Then aim to sleep on time.

Self-awareness doesn't mean never eating for comfort. It means noticing and choosing, so food isn't the only coping tool.

Just for fun

Funny but true: the word "hangry" (bad-tempered because you're hungry) was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2018. Now there's an official word for it, and one more reason to pack a snack for after school.

Hands-on activity

My three-day eating habits log

You need: a notebook or notes app.

For three days, each time you eat, jot down:

  1. Time and where you were.
  2. Hunger rating before (1 to 10) and fullness after.
  3. Why you ate (hungry, bored, stressed, social, habit, practice coming up).
  4. Were you distracted (screen, homework)?

Then look for one pattern (for example, "I'm at a 2 every day after school" or "I snack most when I'm studying") and write one small, realistic change you'll try for a week.

What to look for: honest notes (no calorie counting needed), one pattern you found yourself, and a change that is specific ("pack a snack for after school") rather than vague ("eat better").

Your turn

1

Name three physical factors that influence eating habits.

2

Name three emotional or social factors that influence eating habits.

3

On the hunger and fullness scale, around what numbers is it best to start and stop eating?

4

Give two differences between physical and emotional hunger.

5

Why can short sleep affect eating habits?

6

Why might a teen's appetite go up in Grade 10?

7

What is mindful eating?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does a 1 on the hunger scale feel like?

2

True or false: Emotional eating now and then is normal.

3

What's a simple check if you feel hungry soon after a meal?

4

How many hours of sleep do teens aged 14 to 17 need?

5

Name one health condition that changes what a person can eat.

More practice: on your own

1

Explain the "skip, then overeat" cycle in your own words.

2

Why is eating while gaming or scrolling linked to eating more than you need?

3

Jordan eats a big bowl of ice cream every time he's stressed about school. Suggest two other coping strategies and explain why having several matters.

4

How can body image messages affect eating habits?

5

A friend says, "I never eat breakfast and I'm fine." Give a respectful response using what you learned.

Challenge

1

Design a weekday eating routine for a student with practice from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Explain how each part responds to a physical factor.

2

Why is "just use more willpower" a weak explanation for eating habits? Use at least three factors from the lesson.

3

A friend skips meals most days, says she feels "disgusting" after eating and has stopped eating with friends. What might this mean, and what should you do?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a physical factor that affects eating habits?

2.

On the hunger and fullness scale, a comfortable place to stop eating is around...

3.

Emotional hunger usually...

4.

Mateo skips breakfast and lunch, then overeats after practice. The best first change is to...

5.

Eating while scrolling makes it harder to...

6.

Which could be a warning sign of an eating disorder?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 10 healthy eating (overall expectation C2) asks students to examine the factors behind their own eating habits and dietary choices and to use reliable information to make informed choices. This lesson focuses on physical and emotional factors and self-awareness (Living Skill 1.1).

How to help at home: keep regular family meals when you can, have easy breakfast and after-school options on hand, and talk about food in neutral terms ("fuel", "enjoy") rather than "good" and "bad" foods. Avoid comments about weight or body shape, including your own. The eating log is for self-awareness only; calorie counting is not needed or encouraged.

Common difficulties: teens may feel judged about their eating. Keep it curious, not critical. If your teen is skipping meals, very anxious about food, or secretive about eating, talk to your family doctor; eating disorders are serious and treatable.

Facts used: sleep recommendation from the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (8 to 10 hours for ages 14 to 17); Canada's Food Guide healthy eating habits (be mindful of eating habits, enjoy your food, eat meals with others).