BODY WEIGHT - Heavier people tend to have a
higher food intake which is believed to be due to the increased
energy
expenditure associated with increased body mass. An individual with
naturally more bone mass, muscle mass and general cells create a need for
the bulk to be maintained and usually results in a larger person having a
stronger appetite.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - Research has shown
that people have a higher food intake when physical activity is increased, however
it does depend on the type of activity. Someone who has a
labour-intensive job - such as in the construction industry - will have an
appetite closely linked to their physical expenditure. Someone who works at
a computer all day but manages to participate in regular activities in their
spare time will regulate appetite and help limit excess food consumption (
another reason why regular exercise is important! ). It is
also interesting to note that people who become inactive will gradually lose
control over their appetite, this often leads to excess calorie consumption.
METABOLISM - People with naturally high metabolic rates often possess
a big appetite. Increasing the metabolism
through proper technique should not affect food intake much.
HORMONES - Some hormones are thought to
regulate appetite, the most common known is
insulin. Insulin triggers hunger
as blood sugar levels fall - its the way our body encourages us to eat sugar
and stabilise blood sugar levels once again. This fact is partly the basis
behind the low-carbohydrate diets
that are popular at the moment, however its not so much the insulin that
makes an individual overweight its more to do with consuming
too much energy!!
ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE - A cold
climate often makes people eat more and a hot
temperature has shown to
reduce the appetite. Ever been on holiday in a hot country and
realised your not eating as much as you do when at home, also most people on
holiday
tend to be more active with walking ( site-seeing or the
beach ), swimming or
general activities. It can however go the opposite way as there are some who
go on holiday and just lounge around, drink alcohol and eat rich, expensive
meals. This is a good example of how psychological factors can influence
other controls!!
PALATABILITY - Palatability of food will have
an effect on appetite and thus food intake. Palatability is usually associated
with variety in the diet and research has shown that more variety of food
results in increased consumption. A simple example is at a buffet or banquet
where there is lots of appetising food on display. The look and smell of all
that delicious food makes most people want to try a little of all what's
there even if they feel full. Many of the foods and products on supermarket
shelves today are designed to "zap" our taste buds so we crave for them more
often, unfortunately increasing a foods palatability very often means more
fat content!
PLEASURE - Eating is associated with
pleasure, we get pleasure from looking at food, buying it, cooking it and of
course eating it. The pleasure stops when it ceases to be enjoyable, ever
been so full that the thought of food would make you ill. Its such a shame
sometimes that this ill feeling actually diminishes!!
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS - Psychological
factors can have a major influence on people's food intake. Some may even go
to extremes for example with anorexia nervosa individuals purposely starve
themselves due to certain beliefs. Some of our
eating behaviour is associated with emotional needs. Stress for example
may drive some people to eat more yet some will eat less under stress. The
influence of our mind on food intake is subject to our
emotional needs and
the value we place on food!!
SOCIAL INFLUENCES -
Social influences
can also have an effect on eating habits. People will often eat out of
habit, meal-times for example is a daily occasion and all family members
will eat even if they are not hungry!
Christmas is another
family occasion
which usually involves an overindulgence with food, we drink more and eat
more than ever and our excuse is always "well its Christmas!" Many social events revolve around eating, drinking
or both. Think about any past social event in your life did you overindulge,
if so try to think why?
