Some various biological processes and factors affect hunger, satiety, and eating behaviors. Almost all of us wonder how we can eat a tub of ice cream when we just finished dinner and felt full! 

We are often hard on ourselves for not having enough willpower when we overeat, but there are many reasons we do not listen to our bodies and fill ourselves up with unhealthy foods. Understanding these factors will help us make better choices, in the long run, to really follow the hunger and satiety signals in our bodies and live a healthier life. 

Eating high-carb foods

The stretch receptors in our stomachs can sense when the stomach is full. When we have eaten enough, they stimulate the transmission of satiety signals to the brain causing us to stop eating. When we eat whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, the fiber in them makes them bulky and the signal of being full is sent sooner than when we eat high-carb foods or processed foods that are dense in calories. 

Different macronutrients—and even different foods—all have very diverse effects on this sense of satisfaction. For example, when we eat processed and ultra-processed foods like pizza loaded with different types of cheeses, burgers, and fries, it just keeps on adding to our cravings rather than suppressing them and making us satisfied. The opposite happens when we consume whole foods even after having a salad we tend to feel more satisfied and productive comparatively. The variety of nutrients in these whole foods like enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements is what makes our body productive and healthy.

Eating foods with low nutrient value

When we eat processed foods with low nutrient content, like cookies, chips and cakes, it delays the reaction of another set of sensory cells in the stomach causing us to eat more so we can reach the nutritional needs of our bodies. Nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and simple well-cooked meats signal our bodies to stop eating when the nutritional threshold is reached. So these foods give us more bang for the buck because apart from being inherently healthier, they also help us eat less. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too!

One of the quickest ways to improve satiety is by ditching industrially refined foods. They lack essential nutrients and leave us feeling hungry for more food.

Eating ultra-processed foods

Saturated fats and sugars increase the reward we get from food. According to a study published in the PLOS journal, researchers from the University of Michigan found that “highly processed foods, which may share characteristics with drugs of abuse, appear to be particularly associated with ‘food addiction” In a Forbes article, Alice G. Walton reasoned that just like condensing coca leaf into cocaine, processing grapes into wine and turning poppy seeds opium makes them highly potent and addictive, foods, when processed, can cause us to go back to them again and again.

Moreover, the chemicals in ultra-processed foods injure brain cells to raise our set point, which is the weight range our body wants to stay within. This in turn causes us to resist weight loss and gain weight faster even when we do lose some weight. 

Whole foods, on the other hand, help us feel satiated sooner because of their high nutritional and fiber content. Read more about how to add more whole foods to your diet here. 

Eating foods with a combination of fats and sugar

Most natural foods are high in either fat or sugar. Our bodies are wired to crave fats and sugars as they are high energy and were essential for our survival in prehistoric times. Processed foods often contain a combination of both fat and I sugar which  makes our brains go wild! We overeat and develop cravings for these foods. 

Chemicals in our foods

Most of the foods on our shelves also contain chemicals and additives that are known to harm either the human body or laboratory animals. Foods that have emulsifiers, artificial colors, or even so-called “natural flavors”, may cause massive disruptions in our gut bacteria, studies have shown. These imbalances in our gut bacteria trigger obesity, metabolic syndromes, inflammatory bowel diseases, and… you guessed it… overeating!.

Low metabolic rate

Metabolism is the sum of all the biochemical reactions taking place in our body which involve uptake or release of energy. 

Foods containing these harmful chemicals take their time to digest and disrupt the digestive process of our body. Some foods that are tough on our digestive system are dairy (some people are outright lactose intolerant), fried foods, and other foods that are high in industrial chemicals. Eating these foods regularly can affect your gut health, eventually causing us to eat more. 

Not enough sleep

A sound night’s sleep is as important to our body as fuel in engines. When we work or study late at night or long hours we realize that we tend to eat more than usual. This happens because our brain is trying to divert us from the task that is in front of us and focusing more on trying to sleep to avoid this we tend to overeat.

One factor can also be described as when we tend to work our body a lot and tend to exhaust it more, the more it craves food and a constant feeling of fatigue.

Stress and anxiety

Eating unhealthy and constant snacking can also be a sign of stress eating. The body’s response to most kinds of stress is to load up on energy to fight the stress/ deal with the call to effort … thus the eating. 

Developing an understanding of how our body functions help us to make better choices. Hopefully, the next time you reach for that second serving of delicious yet undesired food, you will consider your food choices, amount of sleep, and stress levels before you blame your willpower.

So to sum it up, these are a few powerful ways to help auto-correct your appetite: eat a diet with less processed whole foods with high nutrient value, sleep well and relax your mind and body.