However hunger , as used here, is a chronic condition in which people are forced to go for days without a full meal. People who are chronically hungry may try to ease their craving for food by filling their stomachs with thin soups, stale bread, or cereals, or with whatever else they can find. Hunger and malnutrition in America. Hunger is the sensation caused by not having enough food. It's the stomach pain when you skip a meal, or eat later than usual.
Prolonged hunger has damaging effects on health, growth, and chances for survival.
Source Food Research and Action Center. How to document hunger in your community. Food Research and Action Center. The term hunger has come to be used to refer to situations in which there is inadequate food intake. Source CRS Report for Congress.