Nutrition Intuition: Can you Trust Your Gut to Guide Your Appetite?
Do you trust your Gut to tell you when to eat and when to stop eating?
Someone asked me recently: ‘Why do I aways continue to pick at food after I’ve finished my meals?” If you relate to this, or feel a bit out of control around food in any way, you may not believe that it’s not possible to trust your Gut. You may think if you simply listened to your body, you’d eat and eat…
But I want you to know that food is essential for survival so the drive to eat is the powerful mind-body connection at play - and that trusting your Gut is possible.
In this blog, I explore the science of hunger and appetite regulation, delving into the gut-brain connection and the biochemicals that influence your eating patterns, and what disrupts these processes. Building an understanding of the biological and neurochemical elements at play when we eat can be a first step to rekindling a more trusting relationship with yourself around food.
First some definitions:
What is Hunger?
Hunger is the physiological sensation or need for food. It is your body's way of signalling that it requires nourishment and energy. Hunger is a survival mechanism, primarily regulated by biological factors and occurs when your body's energy reserves are depleted, or when the stomach is empty.
What is Appetite?
Appetite refers to the desire or interest in consuming food. It can be the result of hunger, but it can exist independently of physiological hunger and involve a combination of psychological and sensory cues that influence your willingness to eat, including factors like the sight and smell of food, cultural or social cues, emotional states, and past experiences.
What is Fullness?
Fullness is the feeling of no longer desiring to eat. It's the body's way of signalling that it has received enough nourishment and energy. Fullness occurs as a response to the nutrients in the food you've consumed and to signals sent to your brain to stop eating. It's the opposite of hunger and appetite.
Here's an example to illustrate the differences: Imagine you've just eaten a hearty meal. You no longer feel hungry because your body's energy needs have been met (hunger has been satisfied), and you might also feel satisfied and content because the meal was delicious (appetite has been satisfied). The feelings of fullness and satiety tells you that it's time to stop eating.
How Your Gut and Brain Guide your Appetite
Your gut and brain are in constant communication. This connection, known as the gut-brain axis, is a two-way street. Appetite regulation involves complex interactions between the gastrointestinal system (the gut), the enteric nervous system (ENS), and the central nervous system (CNS), particularly the brain, and even your gut microbiota. Here's how it all comes together:
1. Hormone signalling from the gut:
Ghrelin, often referred to as the "hunger hormone," is produced by the stomach when it's empty. It sends signals to your brain that it's time to eat.
Insulin-like peptide 5 (ILP 5) which is also produced in the gut and is thought to play a role in appetite regulation and energy balance.
Peptide YY (PYY) is released in the gastrointestinal tract after you eat, promoting feelings of fullness.
Insulin, produced by your pancreas in response to rising blood sugar levels after eating, helps regulate your blood sugar levels. When you eat, it assists your body in using the glucose for energy. High levels of insulin can contribute to feelings of fullness, reducing your appetite.
Cholecystokinin is released in response to the presence of fats and proteins in the digestive system. Its primary functions include stimulating the gallbladder to release bile, promoting the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, regulating appetite by signalling feelings of fullness, and optimising the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
2. Brain chemicals:
Neuropeptide Y (NPY), produced in the hypothalamus, helps to stimulates appetite and food intake, and stress response. It is often considered one of the most potent orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) neuropeptides and revs up in the mornings or during perceived food deprivation, stimulating the drive to eat carbohydrate-rich foods.
Serotonin, often called the "feel-good" neurotransmitter, can influence mood and satiety. Eating carbohydrate-rich foods helps increase the production of serotonin, which in turn helps shut off the production of NPY halting the desire for carbohydrates.
Dopamine, which is linked to reward and pleasure, can also affect your motivation to eat regardless of hunger. When you eat food that you find pleasurable, dopamine is released in response to the ‘rewarding’ experience. This release of dopamine contributes to feelings of pleasure and reinforces the desire to eat that food again.
3. The vagus nerve:
The vagus nerve connects your gut to your brain. The longest cranial nerve in the body, it plays a critical role in conveying your body's physiological state and carries sensory information about the volume and nutrient content of food in your stomach. It also plays a role in the gut's motor functions, including the contraction and relaxation of the digestive muscles.
4. Gut microbiota:
Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiota. This diverse community of microbes can produce signalling molecules and metabolites that affect the brain and appetite regulation. Imbalances in the gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, can impact appetite and metabolism. Some studies have linked specific gut bacteria to appetite control.
5. Diet and nutrient composition:
The types of foods consumed can naturally impact the gut-brain connection. For example, high-fibre foods can promote feelings of fullness and proteins can promote feelings of satiation, while foods high in sugar or highly processed can lead to rapid peaks and troughs in blood sugar, affecting appetite regulation.
The Appetite Conundrum: what disrupts the processes?
Erratic eating patterns, disordered and restrictive eating which can include dieting and fasting, eating disorders, as well as factors including chronic stress, sleep deprivation, trauma history, specific medications, and gut-related disorders, all have the potential to disrupt the gut-brain connection and interfere with your ability to recognise your body's natural hunger and fullness cues.
When we become rigid in following diet plan rules that dictate when and what we eat, it becomes remarkably easy to lose touch with our body's inherent signals of hunger and fullness.
Consider this scenario for example: When you consistently suppress your hunger and only eat when you've reached the point of ravenous hunger, you're more likely to experience intense cravings for energy-dense foods. In an attempt to satisfy this intense hunger, you may end up consuming food rapidly, surpassing your body's 'satiety meter,' and eventually finding yourself uncomfortably full.
Another scenario: When you are always following diet plans, or are trying so hard to be healthy rather than eating what you really want to, you’re more likely to feel unsatisfied after a meal, particularly if certain foods or even food groups have been excluded. This may lead you to seek more food after the meal to in attempt to satisfy your tastebuds.
Sometimes an unhelpful habit, like always mopping up all the leftovers after a meal or eating something when we feel a certain way, can make us feel like we can’t trust ourselves around food, but is simply that - an helpful habit - or a learned behaviour that we adopt on autopilot.
Emotional factors such as stress, anxiety, and mood can significantly impact gut function as they can lead to physical responses in the gut, such as changes in motility and secretion, which can in turn disrupt the balance of hunger and fullness cues, causing overeating or under-eating. Emotional factors can also trigger inflammatory responses in the gut, and when the gut is in a state of distress, it can send signals to the brain that may further affect mood and behaviour.
In summary, when you experience disruption in the gut-brain connection, whether that is due to disregarding your body's natural appetite cues, or other factors, this can lead to alterations in appetite and eating habits can become chaotic and less intuitive.
Reconnecting with Your EATING Intuition
Now you understand more about the biological and neurochemical aspects of appetite regulation, and looked at where things can go awry, can you use this knowledge to help you better address the potential factors in the way of you following your Gut?
Remember that your body has an incredible natural ability to regulate your appetite when you give it the chance. Trust the cues it provides, and respect your unique biochemistry.
This type of work is a process, and if you need help transforming your relationship with food and your body, then seek support from a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner trained in Intuitive Eating.
Take a positive step forward today
Are worries about food, weight, or overeating draining your time, energy, and peace of mind? Are you struggling with low mood, food cravings, gut health, or digestion challenges?
Old mindsets and habits can be hard to shift on your own. If you are looking to reset your eating patterns, make peace with your body, and reclaim your energy, I can help you.
Please check out my private programmes here, or book an exploratory chat to find out more.
