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We have talked about the environment and how it influences what, when, and how much you eat. But do you know that there is another factor that can affect all of these things? And that is your brain.
Yes, your brain is the internal reason behind what, when, and how much you eat. If you take a closer look, you will realize that the plate in front of you is influenced by far more than simple hunger or appetite. The food choices you make are a complex mix of psychological, social, and biological factors.
You have learned how to own your environment and tackle the external factors to control your food choices. Now we are going to talk about the internal and psychological factors here.
How Does Your Brain Do That?
Your brain has many active parts, such as lobes, sides, cortexes, and more. However, to better understand them, we categorize them as sub-brains. These sub-brains focus on different things.
If we talk about food intake, two sub-brains participate: the hedonic brain and the hunger brain.
Remember when we learned about your rider and inner elephant? Well, here, the hunger brain is your rider dealing with true signs of hunger, and the hedonic brain is your inner elephant, which is all about pleasure.
Let's take a closer look at both of these parts.
The hedonic brain:
Just like your inner elephant, the hedonic brain is also on the hunt for rewarding things that can bring it pleasure. It is the part of your brain that makes you think about the chocolate bar in the fridge or your favorite food items. It also wants to avoid anything that can take away pleasure, including stress and uncomfortable emotions.
The hunger brain:
The hunger brain is not very complex. As its name suggests, it is all about hunger. This part of the brain activates after receiving the proper hunger signals, whether they are hunger pains, stomach growling, low blood sugar, or hormones.
After these signals hit the brain, both of the parts of your brain start to take action. Sometimes, the hedonic brain wins, and you go back to that last slice of cake. And sometimes the hunger brain wins, and you enjoy a mindful and healthy meal. You don't need to finish the plate in front of you since you eat slowly and realize you are satisfied.
We have talked about the techniques to handle your inner elephant, but now you need something to strengthen your hunger brain so that it can win from hedonic brain. So, let's get there.
All About Hormones
Well, in order to strengthen your hunger brain, you first have to learn how this brain works. The signals that the hardworking sub-brain gets from different parts of the body are called hormones.
We know this is not a science class. But since these hormones are the main players when it comes to regulating food intake, weight, and overall health, we want you to know about these.
Leptin—the Satiety Hormone
The satiety hormone tells your brain when you don't need to take the next bite. This hormone is present in your fat cells and prevents you from overeating.
Ghrelin—the Hunger Hormone
Insulin-like Peptide 5
Glucagon-like Peptide 1
Cholecystokinin
Peptide YY (PYY)
These hormones are pretty good at their function and know how to handle themselves. But when there is any noticeable change in our body, like weight loss, health issues, or stress, these hormones lose their balance.
Just take an example, this happens when you lose weight:
Leptin decreases- you don't feel satisfied
Ghrelin increases - you feel hungry
GLP-1 decreases -you are hungrier
CCK decreases – you are even hungrier after finishing your whole meal
Now that you know all about these hormones, you know why you don't seem to be full on some days and don't want to even finish a small meal on others. It turns out that hunger is all in your head, controlled by the hormones.
The good news is that we have some effective tips and tricks that can help you keep that hunger in control. And we will definitely share those in the next lesson. See you there soon
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