Why does appetite increase in winter?

When it’s so cold outside that you don’t even want to leave the house, many do not mind eating a large portion of fragrant, hot, well-stewed meat or a mountain of soft buns. But if you offer these same dishes in the summer heat, most of us are likely to refuse. Experts say that in hot weather, our appetite tends to decrease, and in winter, on the contrary, it increases. Why is this happening, is there a relationship between weather and appetite, and what mechanisms govern this?

If all food tastes better in the cold season, and your appetite is hard to control, you can be sure that you are not alone in this. Research data show that, on average, people gain from 0,5 to 1 kilogram during the winter, and those who are already overweight even more. Why is this happening? If you think that the whole reason is in the winter holidays with plentiful feasts, then you are only partially right. Experts say that the phenomenon of winter appetite can be explained by several factors.

Food, adipose tissue and thermoregulation: what is the relationship

It is widely believed that during the cold season, the body requires more food in order to store fat to maintain the desired body temperature. But researchers say this is nothing more than a misconception. It turned out that overweight people freeze more in winter than those with an athletic build. That is, reserves of subcutaneous fat do not warm. Why this happens, the researchers also explained. There are two types of adipose tissue in the human body: white (subcutaneous fat) and brown. So, the only fat that is responsible for thermoregulation, which means it can warm, is brown tissue. It is found in large quantities in the bodies of hibernating mammals and in infants. In adults, brown fat reserves are very limited. But, as recent studies have shown, physical exercise contributes to the production of the hormone irisin in the body, and that in turn causes a change in white fats into brown ones.

So, as you already understood, white fat is an energy store and it does not participate in thermoregulation. If so, then why do our bodies require more food in winter, which is then deposited as white fat on the sides and stomachs?

University of Toronto researcher Peter Hermann compared the diets of people living in different regions of the planet, and came to very interesting conclusions: the colder the climate, the more calories people eat. In particular, using the menu of military personnel as an example, he found that in the tropics army soldiers consume approximately 3100 calories per day, while the daily ration of employees in the Arctic is 4900 kcal, and the calorie content of soldiers in the UK is 25% more than their counterparts in Yemen.

Later, American researchers tracked how the body mass index in people changes with the change of seasons. As it turned out, in summer this figure usually decreases, while in winter it rises. In addition, scientists noticed an interesting feature: the colder it got outside, the more meat and dairy products appear in the diet of most people. And there are several explanations for this.

Primal Instinct

According to one theory, we are genetically programmed to increase fat stores on the eve of the cold season. Fat should help a person survive in winter, give energy. For our distant ancestors, this was actually of vital importance. For a modern person, such thriftiness of the body has lost its relevance, but the brain still continues to control the body according to the ancient program. Nowadays, absolutely any food is available all year round. There is no shortage of food in winter, which means that the accumulated reserves are not spent. As a result, we come out of the winter with excess weight.

Using the example of 593 participants in the experiment aged 20 to 70 years, specialists from the University of Massachusetts found that, on average, the autumn daily diet of a person is 86 calories more than the spring one. Scientists explain this by the very primitive instinct. As the days get shorter, a person begins to eat more often and in larger portions, thus creating reserves for the whole winter. By the way, earlier American scientists conducted another study, during which they determined the relationship between seasons and servings consumed by a person. It turned out that in the cold season, most people do not eat up those portions that they had enough in the summer.

More power consumption in winter

When we are cold, the body spends extra energy to keep warm. The body requires to compensate for the used forces and signals this with a feeling of hunger (after all, our main source of energy is food).

When it is hot outside, the difference between body and air temperatures is negligible, which means that the body requires less energy to maintain homeostasis. When it’s cold, on the contrary, our bodies have to work harder to keep warm. And for this you need fuel, that is, food.

An interesting fact was discovered by the already mentioned Canadian researcher Hermann. In his scientific work, he says that the body is able to warm itself from the very act of consuming and digesting food. As an example, he cites the following fact. After a serving of stew with vegetables within an hour after eating, body temperature rises by an average of 2 degrees. But more interesting is that, according to the observations of the scientist, an increase in body temperature was also observed in people who only chewed food, but did not swallow. With animals, the situation is even more entertaining: sometimes dogs just need to look at food and smell it to keep warm.

But in this scheme there is one nuance that you should also be aware of. Eating foods high in simple carbohydrates and fats causes a sharp jump in blood sugar, against which a person really feels a surge of heat. But this effect is temporary, as sugar soon decreases just as quickly, causing another surge of hunger and chilliness. Thus, the body has to go through the whole cycle again, that is, the appetite is constantly kept at a high level.

The whole reason lies in melatonin

For the winter period in our latitudes, a reduction in daylight hours is characteristic. It dawns late, it gets dark early, we spend more time indoors, and this affects the level of hormones.

When the pineal gland senses a lack of sunlight, it begins to more actively produce melatonin, known as the sleep hormone. In spring and summer, its amount in our bodies is minimal, but in autumn and winter, the level of the hormone rises markedly. Melatonin controls not only the desire to sleep, but also appetite: the more hormone in the body, the stronger the desire to eat.

We eat because of the seasonal blues

Psychologists have long known about the existence of the so-called seasonal blues. During the period of cold weather, rains, slush and cloudy weather, the level of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, drops. Consequently, at this time, the tendency to depressive states increases, the level of satisfaction with life decreases. And then many are taken to “seize” a bad mood with their favorite food.

In a state of blues, it is difficult to adequately control the portions of what you eat. Researchers have calculated that when a person suffers from boredom, he usually eats 2 times more than usual. It is also interesting that the winter diet, compared to the summer diet, consists of more high-calorie foods – very sweet or fatty.

Psychologists have explained why such a desire arises. In winter, due to the constant cold and short daylight hours, many people feel uncomfortable and, if I may say so, begin to look for additional sources of pleasure. For many, it’s food. And as a rule, this is not any food, but one with which a person has pleasant emotions. For example, these may be favorite childhood dishes, and for the most part they are not low in calories.

Hunger due to lack of sunlight

According to another theory, appetite increases in winter due to a lack of vitamin D. In order for the body to synthesize it, it needs the sun.

In winter, as you know, the daylight hours are quite short, we rarely go outside. In the fresh air, we wrap ourselves in scarves, hats and gloves, reducing the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe skin that has the opportunity to contact with the sun’s rays. Studies have shown that people who are deficient in vitamin D quickly accumulate fat stores, but almost never use them.

slow metabolism

In winter, our bodies switch to a special mode of operation – they use their energy sparingly and actively increase their “reserves”. That is, a constant feeling of hunger for this is a normal physiological state. By the way, it is for this reason that nutritionists do not advise going on a strict diet in the winter. On the one hand, it will be difficult to fight the feeling of hunger, and on the other hand, the body will very slowly part with fat reserves (it will rather use muscle proteins than subcutaneous fat).

Dehydration of the body

Many people drink much less liquid in winter than in summer. This is due to the fact that cold can dull the feeling of thirst in our bodies. However, in winter, we still need to restore the water balance in the tissues, as a long stay in rooms with dry air increases moisture loss.

The body does not always signal thirst for a lack of fluid. Sometimes dehydration is manifested by false hunger. And this is another reason why appetite increases in winter.

Snacks for nothing to do

If in the summer most of us try to spend almost all our free time outside the home, then in winter everything is exactly the opposite. Winter vacation for many comes down to sitting on the couch and watching TV. Often this “ritual” is accompanied by chewing sandwiches, chips, crackers, salted or sweet nuts, sweets. In this case, they say about food “from nothing to do.” And this also explains why in winter more than in summer there is a desire to eat something.

How to deal with winter overeating

If you are one of those people who have a brutal appetite in winter, and with it weight increases, you can use the following tips:

When the body constantly requires something tasty, focus on soups, stewed vegetables or fish, cottage cheese, cereals with berries and other dishes rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein. By the way, soup is the best food for the winter. Firstly, hot rich broth allows you to quickly warm up. Secondly, liquid food is an additional source of moisture for the body. Thirdly, the soup perfectly satisfies hunger, but at the same time contains few calories.

Among your favorite foods, choose the least calorie.

Don’t skip snacking between main meals. This trick will help keep your metabolism normal and avoid excessive food cravings. For a snack, choose healthy, low-calorie foods.

Try to be outside as often as possible. This will help increase the level of vitamin D and serotonin in the body, thereby saving you from blues and overeating.

Go in for sports. Regular exercise helps improve mood, burn excess fat and speed up metabolism. Thanks to sports, there will be less idle time, which means less chance of overeating. It is useful to dilute traditional workouts in the gym in winter with skiing, skating or snowboarding.

If you’re used to eating stress, try to find other sources of comfort. Instead of grabbing your plate right away, have a cup of your favorite tea, take a walk, or indulge in your hobby.

Try not to get cold. In the cold season, clothes should be not so much fashionable as warm. If the body is constantly maintained at a comfortable temperature, it will not ask for additional portions of food to warm itself.

Maintain fluid balance. Regardless of the season, a healthy adult should drink at least 2 liters of clean water daily.

Eat slowly. This trick can save you from overeating. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for the body to realize satiety.

An increase in appetite in winter is a natural state. But in order not to meet spring with a dozen extra pounds, you should not be led by your own desires. Pay attention to the caloric content of the daily diet, do not forget to play sports and then the winter appetite will not be a problem for you.