Why Are You Hungry - Why Do We Eat
By Linda Tremer
What makes you hungry? Actually it's rather complicated. Did you know that people who have had their stomach removed still experience hunger? That's because hunger doesn't come from your stomach, your brain regulates your appetite. The part of your brain that controls your appetite is called the hypothalamus. Your brain constantly monitors your blood. There are a variety of chemical signals that turns hunger on and off. Essentially, the hypothalamus detects the amount of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids in your blood to determine if you should eat more or stop eating.
When the level of glucose in your blood drops the hypothalamus detects this and signals you to eat. Keeping your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day will keep you from overeating and putting on weight. You can do this by eating frequent small meals throughout the day while keeping your total calorie input constant.
When certain amino acids levels in your blood drop the hypothalamus gives you the hunger signal. High levels of serotonin in your blood will signal your brain that you are full. Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan. Some foods that contain tryptophan are: peanuts, oatmeal, banana, turkey, egg yolk, almonds and milk.
Your brain also determines the amount of energy stored as fat by monitoring the fatty acids in your blood stream. When you use stored fat for energy your fat cells release fatty acids into the bloodstream. Stored fat is used during times of dieting and fasting. If large amounts of fatty acids are detected by the hypothalamus your appetite is increased to replace the fatty acids. Fatty acids are then stored in fat cells. If the level of fatty acids in your blood stream is low, the hypothalamus knows your body is storing fat and not using it and it does not give the hunger signal.
This is why you should never skip a meal. When you skip breakfast you fool the body into thinking it is starving and the fat cells release fatty acids. Your brain detects them in the blood stream and tells you to eat more than you normally would to refill those fat cells. Eating five small meals a day will keep the fatty acids from being released by your fat cells and into your bloodstream. And the hunger signal will not be given and you will not be constantly hungry and overeat.
The chemicals in your blood that the hypothalamus detects come from the digested food in the intestine. Chemical signals circulate from our stomach via the blood stream and reach the hypothalamus to signal we are full. On the average it takes about twenty minutes for the signals to reach the brain. That's why we should eat slowly and allow time for the brain to register that we are full.
So there you have it, hunger it's not all in the stomach. Your brain controls your desire for food. Controlling your appetite is not an easy task. Many different and complex functions within your body must be balanced just right to keep your appetite and hunger under control. That's why what works for one person may not work for you.
Linda Tremer has studied nutrition, weight loss and fitness for over 30 years. She is the owner of the website The Center For Weight Loss. Her site is dedicated to helping you lose weight and live a healthy life. Visit the new healthy living page for more health and weight loss articles. The Center For Weight Loss and Healthy Living has everything you need to live a healthy life.
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