When you can’t help wanting to eat, are you just craving for food or are you really hungry?

Audit expert: Taozi

National Psychological Counselor

When watching TV shows or movies, I can’t help but have some snacks to feel satisfied; when passing by a barbecue stall with fireworks rising and emitting tempting aroma, I can’t help but stop and eat a few skewers; when I see a food video that looks bright and rich in taste late at night, tears can’t help but burst out from the corners of my mouth, and I can even smell the aroma of the food through the screen, and then I click on the food delivery app...

Who can bear this? Source: Editor

Don’t deny it, you must have had similar experiences as above. Even if you don’t feel hungry at the time, it doesn’t prevent us from thinking “I’m hungry” and then driving the body to eat.

In fact, according to relevant scientific research, when a person can't help wanting to eat, it is either because he has been deprived of food for a long time and can't wait to get food, that is, he is really hungry; or it is because the stimulating properties of food cause the appetite for a certain food, that is, he is "craving for food."

Source: pixabay

So, how can we distinguish whether we are really hungry or just craving for food? Why do people still want to eat when they are not hungry?

Hedonic hunger and homeostatic hunger

Based on the two different states of the body when eating, hunger is divided into "hedonic hunger" and "steady-state hunger" in psychology.

The so-called "hedonic hunger" is a "pseudo-hunger" that occurs when the body does not have an urgent need for food, but is stimulated by the color, aroma, taste and texture of food. It is essentially caused by the body's psychological desire for happiness and satisfaction, not because the body really lacks food for energy.

Source: pixabay

"Homeostatic hunger" means that when the stomach continues to secrete gastric juice, but the food in the stomach has been digested, the stomach will increase its contraction strength and transmit this signal to the brain. The brain analyzes the feeling of hunger, which is the true "hunger".

Why do I want to eat even though I’m not hungry?

So why do we feel like eating even though we are not hungry?
This phenomenon is related to the reward mechanism of relevant brain areas. The study used food pictures or delicious milkshakes and other food pipeline liquids as stimulus materials to examine the neural activation phenomenon of brain reward-related brain areas caused by food cues and food itself. With the increasing number of brain imaging studies in the field of diet, researchers found that when obese individuals process food cues (mostly pictures), not only the activation intensity of brain areas related to vision, memory and reward value is enhanced, but also the activation intensity of brain areas related to cognitive control is reduced. At the same time, reward-related brain areas such as the insula and orbitofrontal cortex are more strongly activated, and the activation intensity is positively correlated with food calories.

Source: pixabay

That is to say, when processing food cues (especially high-calorie food pictures), overactivation of reward-related brain areas and weakened activity in executive control brain areas may be the neurophysiological basis for individuals to be unable to resist food temptations and thus engage in excessive eating behavior.

In addition, consuming high-sugar and high-calorie foods will promote the body to secrete more dopamine. Dopamine, as a neurotransmitter in the body, affects a person's emotions and feelings. When the dopamine concentration increases, it will make the body feel happy, thus activating the reward system in the brain. It also makes people often use eating a delicious meal as a way to vent when they are emotionally distressed.

Dopamine pathway source: Baidu Encyclopedia

However, repeated activation of the reward mechanism will induce emotional eating , which will increase the body's demand and tolerance for high-sugar foods, forming a vicious cycle, causing overweight or even obesity, and threatening physical health. Therefore, once you find yourself in a state of "not being hungry but still wanting to eat" for a long time, you must consciously control your excess appetite. Controlling Excess Appetite

How to control excess appetite? First, adjust the order of eating and slow down the eating speed.

When eating, first choose some fruits and whole grains that are very filling to occupy part of the eating space, then slow down the chewing speed, and chew slowly to give the gastrointestinal tract enough time to digest the food. This ensures that the food is fully digested and absorbed while reducing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, and also allows enough reaction time for the fullness signal to be transmitted to the brain.

Source: pixabay

Secondly, you should eat scientifically and regularly . Try to eat on time every day, and make a good nutritional combination of meals according to the different needs of breakfast, lunch and dinner. While ensuring sufficient intake of high-quality protein, you should also take in starchy carbohydrate staple foods and sufficient fruits and vegetables. Only by eating scientifically can you ensure good health.

Finally, you should pay attention to your emotions and learn to release psychological pressure . When the human body is under excessive psychological pressure for a long time, the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol will increase, making it more difficult for people to control their appetite and more likely to overeat. Therefore, when you are under too much pressure, you must learn to relieve your emotions and find a suitable way to release pressure. If necessary, you should seek help from a professional doctor. You cannot wait until the pressure overwhelms your health before you regret it.