WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUNGER & APPETITE?

Are hunger and appetite two very different things, or are they one in the same?

What is Hunger? Hunger is the physical need for food.

What is Appetite? - Appetite is the desire for food.

Hunger can occur when blood glucose levels drop. It is a protective mechanism that ensures survival and that your body is adequately fueled.
Appetite on the other hand, is the conditioned response to food. It is a sensory reaction to the look, smell,sound, taste or thought of food.

Our appetite is closely linked with our behavior, but also takes cues from our digestive tract, brain and fatty tissue. Having an increased appetite or having the feeling of wanting to eat, stems from your biochemical and/or an emotional connection that you have formed with certain foods.

When you consider the nature of your increased appetite, it is often towards highly processed foods, which are high in refined sugars, salt and poor quality fats. Sometimes we crave “real” foods, because we innately know that we have a deficiency that needs to be balanced. You have probably heard of someone who was pregnant having such cravings.

Appetite can also be increased or decreased by hormonal factors and stress.
Most people are “nourished” well beyond when their natural satiety signals kick in. This can occur because many of us eat way too fast.

Our metabolism is also related to hunger. Your metabolic rate is governed by the thyroid gland. Our metabolism is also influenced by muscle mass and hormones. An increased or “fast” metabolism is associated with increased hunger; this is specifically the case for athletes. The higher your muscle mass the higher your metabolic rate and muscle cells require more energy than fat cells in the body.

In theory, people with a higher muscle mass would therefore have a greater level of hunger, however due to hormonal mechanisms involving insulin, leptin and ghrelin, as well as emotional factors this is not always the case.

Regulation and the ability to self-control appetite has been the subject of much debate over the last decade. The hypothalamus in the brain is the main regulatory organ for human appetite. Leptin, a hormone produced by our fat cells, provides a negative feedback loop to signal when we need to stop eating. Increased appetite has been linked with hormonal imbalance, mental disorders and of course stress.
Research indicates that artificial sweeteners can actually stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings and even stimulate fat storage, leading to weight gain.

Fat and protein in food communicate relatively quickly between the mouth and the satiety center in the brain, while artificially sweetened foods don’t utilize this mechanism. Too much total food can easily eaten when you use artificial sweeteners.

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