Organs such as the liver and brain interacts with hormones, nervous system and other parts of the body to influence feeding behaviour. Appetite on the other hand, is our primary psychological drive to eat and is affected by external food choice mechanisms such as seeing a tempting bowl of Egusi Soup.
When you fulfill either or both drive by eating sufficient food , it brings about a state of satiety, temporarily halting our desire to continue eating, all thanks to the hypothalamus our satiety regulator. When stimulated, either by hunger or appetite , cells in the feeding center of the hypothalamus signals us to eat.
As we eat hunger decreases .When we are full, the satiety center of the hypothalamus are stimulated and we stop eating. Chemicals, Surgery and some cancers can destroy the feeding center activity . We tend to eat little and eventually lose weight and without the satiety center activity , we can eat ourway to destiny !
Feeding behavior also changes in response to body fat like Liposuction and tummy tuck can increase food consumption. Social customs , peers and authority figures can influence the desire to eat. Concern about appearance when on a date can influence the food choices made.We are also likely to eat more when we are with a large group of people than when with a few or alone. Also when someone else is picking up the cheque we tend to over eat. The easy availability of fast food has made weight control even harder. But does appetite really regulate what we eat? Almost everyone including me has encountered a mouth watering dessert or devoured it even on a full stomach.
We often eat because we see food. It smells good, looks good and tastes good. We might eat because it's the right time of the day e.g Breakfast or Lunch or we are celebrating. Stress or depression can often send you to the refrigerator.
