Minecraft/Hunger

As expected from a survival game, hunger is a large part of Minecraft. Your hunger is shown above the hotbar on the right, as chicken drumsticks. You know if you are hungry if one is dark.

Note: the hunger bar will not show in creative mode, and will only drain on survival or adventure modes, but not in peaceful difficulty.

Hunger
Each drumstick represents two hunger points. As a point drops, half a drumstick turns black. E.g: 10 full drumsticks: full hunger; 1 and a half black drumsticks: 17 hunger; 7 black drumsticks: 6 hunger.

If hunger is above 17, you will regenerate health. If it is below 6, you cannot sprint. If it is on zero, you will take damage. On easy difficulty, you take damage until you are on 10 health. On normal difficulty, you lose health until you have one point. On hard difficulty, you can even die of hunger!

To replenish hunger, eat a food item.

Saturation
You cannot lose hunger if you have at least one saturation. You gain saturation from food items. You know it is zero if your hunger bar is shaking slightly.

Wasting food
Don't waste your perfectly good beef when on almost full hunger. Wait until four drumsticks are dark. If you are in a fight or on low health, eat if one and a half drumsticks are dark, or you won't regenerate health.

Getting hungry
Many things can drain your hunger bar. Taking damage, swinging an item or your fist, jumping, sprinting, building, mining and time.