Patricia Thompson - NUTRITION TALK ANYONE WHO has tried to change body weight will attest to the fact that getting the correct diet is not enough but it is sticking with the dietary changes that presents the greatest challenges.
The initial enthusiasm associated with starting a new diet plan soon wanes when it must be applied in situations of eating out, dealing with cravings or even just watching others eat. This desire for food is what is termed appetite. Appetite challenges are not unique to the overweight but also affect those trying to gain weight.
HUNGER AND APPETITE
Hunger is the response to internal sensations of the body that signal one to consume food. It is the need for food to satisfy physiological energy and nutrient requirements. Appetite is the desire to eat or not depending on signals in the surrounding environment. Appetite is influenced by more immediate rewards such as taste and texture of food, visual stimulation, the feeling of contentment and the physical environment. We eat in response to social and emotional factors and even physical triggers in the environment.
We all experience appetite influences but we respond in different ways. One person may have an extreme liking for a food, say ice cream, and the sight of it will cause a desire to eat even if one is not hungry. Another person with a dislike for ice cream will experience a loss of appetite at the sight of ice cream. Some persons are more sensitive to these external triggers in the environment than others usually because their experiences from childhood have cemented certain eating patterns.
Persons with an appetite problem often confuse hunger and appetite signals. This means that they often eat even when not hungry and yet may not eat when hungry. They are very good at suppressing hunger signals but have less control over appetite. This may result in them either eating too much and becoming overweight or not eating at all and becoming underweight.
CONTROLLING APPETITE
Persons who have good control over their appetite usually eat in response to hunger. They do not suppress hunger feelings but give priority to eating. They often eat on a regular schedule which is compatible with the biological cycle of hunger and satiety. Persons with appetite problems are often heard to say, "I can go all day without eating and not feel hungry". When exposed to food however, they either eat too much or lose their appetite completely and cannot eat.
In extreme cases, the person who eats too much in response to appetite may become an 'eataholic' while a person who has an aversion to food may be suffering from anorexia nervosa. These conditions have psychological underpinnings and are often related to perceptions of body image. Such persons require psychological as well as dietary intervention.
An addiction to food is similar to any addiction such as alcoholism. Unlike the latter where total avoidance is necessary, one cannot totally stop eating. Persons with anorexia nervosa avoid eating since they fear that they lack the control to eat only just enough and this has dangerous health risks.
Most persons have poor appetite control because they have learnt faulty eating practices some of which started in childhood. It is possible for these persons to learn appetite control by practising behaviour modification strategies. In short, they have to learn a new way of eating and responding to food. This 'learn to eat' approach takes time and commitment and is not compatible with the crash dieting syndrome that pervades modern society.
Patricia Thompson M.Sc., Registered Nutritionist, The Nutrition Centre, Eden Gardens.
