Why do you always want to eat even though you are not hungry? The answer is not as simple as you think...

Expert of this article: Zhao Wei, deputy chief physician of Department of Neurology and Sleep Medicine Center, Tianjin University Teda Hospital

In daily life

Have you ever encountered such a situation?

I'm not hungry.

But I always want to eat

In particular

Overtime

When watching TV series

When shopping

When you are bored

Even when I'm in a bad mood

I always want to have something to eat.

So

Why is this?

Is it because you are too greedy?

Or is it because I lack self-control?

today

Let's find out

…

What factors affect appetite?

Food intake is an instinctive behavior in the process of biological evolution. This behavior is controlled by the brain's limbic system and hypothalamus. The human hypothalamus has a feeding center and a satiety center. There is cross-inhibition between the feeding center and the satiety center. The amygdala and septum of the limbic system also play a role in regulating eating behavior.

The cerebral cortex can control the activity of the feeding center to a certain extent and affect feeding behavior, such as eating more of favorite foods or dieting.

Various neurotransmitters in the brain can also affect eating behavior. For example, norepinephrine and dopamine promote eating, while leptin and cholecystokinin inhibit eating behavior.

Psychological factors also have a very important influence on appetite. For example, when a child is a child, his parents may reward him with a piece of cake for good performance, or give him some sweets when he is unhappy. These habits may continue into adulthood. The liking for a certain food may also be due to the nostalgia for something.

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

Most people have had this experience: sometimes they don’t feel hungry, but they just want to eat. Why is that?

In fact, we want to seek comfort, relieve stress, or reward ourselves through food.

High-sugar, high-calorie foods will activate the brain's reward system and increase dopamine secretion. Psychological research shows that behaviors that activate the reward system are likely to be repeated. When you are in a bad mood, the first impulse is to find food, which is emotional eating. However, overactivation of the reward system will form a vicious circle, leading to an increased demand for and tolerance to high-sugar foods.

How to differentiate between normal eating and emotional eating?

1. Emotional hunger often comes on suddenly. Real hunger comes on relatively slowly, and the urge to eat is not particularly strong (unless you haven't eaten for a long time).

2. Emotional eating tends to favor specific foods. When people are really hungry, they are generally not picky eaters, but emotional eating tends to crave high-calorie foods, such as ice cream, cake, pizza, etc., which can bring people pleasure.

3. Emotional eating is often an unconscious and blind behavior. When eating emotionally, even if you are full, you do not feel satisfied, so you often eat until you feel uncomfortable. When you are really hungry, your stomach is filled and you will feel satisfied.

4. Emotional eating often leads to regret and guilt. If you feel guilty after eating, it may be because you know in your heart that you are not eating for energy needs.

What are the dangers of long-term emotional eating?

Occasionally using food to refresh and reward yourself is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if eating becomes the main mechanism for dealing with negative emotions, it will fall into a vicious cycle, because when eating emotionally, you tend to eat some desserts or unhealthy foods. Over time, obesity, abnormal lipid metabolism and other diseases will occur.

Emotional eating is using food to meet emotional needs rather than the body's energy needs. Although it can temporarily suppress negative emotions and relieve boredom, it cannot solve emotional problems. On the contrary, it will make emotions worse and cause guilt for overeating.

How to control emotional eating?

1. Eliminate stress

Yoga, regular exercise or deep breathing can help reduce stress.

2. Divert attention

Before you want to eat, you can do something else to divert your attention, such as chatting with friends, playing ball, taking a walk, reading, watching a movie, visiting the park, etc.

3. Chew slowly

It takes time for fullness signals to reach the brain. If you eat too fast, you will miss the fullness signals sent by your body and you will also miss the taste of the food.

4. Get a good night’s sleep

If you don't get enough sleep, your body will crave sugary foods for energy, and getting enough rest can help control your appetite.

5. Maintain moderation and indulge occasionally

Eat more healthy foods and less snacks. If you want to snack, try to have it between meals and choose low-calorie foods.

It is worth noting that if uncontrollable emotional eating, binge eating and painful experiences occur frequently, this may be a poor emotion regulation behavior and you should actively seek medical help.