Are you really hungry?

As times have changed so has human behavior. Food became a luxury and not just a need. It also becomes abundant with processed foods that are easier to store and prepare. As food became more convenient and more variety became available one thing did not change, that is the body’s instinct that is defines when it needs food for health, energy, healing and every function the body.

Our bodies have built in sensors that give us signals when we are in need of food.

Children have the ability to self-regulate food intake. If allowed to decide when to eat and when to stop eating without outside interference, children eat as much as they need. They have the innate ability to adjust their caloric intake to meet energy needs. A child’s intake may fluctuate widely from meal to meal and day to day, but over a week’s time their intake is relatively stable. Although we may all have this ability when younger, we lose it as we get older. We have had parental nterference with “clean your plate” or food as a reward that encourage over eating. We also start to associate high sugar and fat foods with special events like birthday parties. The media starts with young children by aiming their ads towards toddlers and preschool aged children and the majority of the ads were for fast food chains or sweetened cereals. The ads associate the advertised product with fun and excitement. Soon we find ourselves surrounded with convenient ways drive thru and billboards pointing the way. The vision and smell of such places spark our appetite.

Hunger is defined as the basic physiological need for food, satiety is the physiological response to having eaten enough.
Both hunger and satiety are signals between the brain and hormonal signals from the stomach.

Healthy eating behaviors include eating in response to hunger cues and stopping in response to satiety cues. Our appetite is the stimuli that override hunger and satiety. Appetite is defined as the craving or desire for food it also determines when and what we eat. Appearance, taste, aroma and emotional starts can dramatically affect a person’s appetite.