Yesterday, it began to snow and blow here in Indiana. I reached for a can of salt crystals to sprinkle on the sidewalk, and found they had melted into a solid mass. Panic. I grabbed my coat, and drove over to Rural King for a new can of sidewalk salt, and free popcorn. By the time I got home, I was so hungry that I finished half a bag of popcorn before I’d taken off my cap. It’s true. Cold weather makes you hungry. Watch out for Winter Weight Gain!
There’s a lot of research to explain why our bodies respond to decreasing temperatures with hunger. It’s an instinct inherited from our ancient forebears. Apparently, the healthiest members of the tribe survived by upping their calorie intake as the days got shorter and colder.
Cardiologist Ira Ockene explained to National Public Radio.:
“We are driven by things implanted in our brain a long, long time ago.”
His research conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that, in 593 participants from 20-70 years old, people consumed an average of 86 more daily calories in the fall than in the spring. Worse yet, that increased to 200 extra calories per day in the winter.
He explained that when the days get dark earlier, we’re biologically compelled to seek out more food and eat faster than usual — an ingrained behavior he likens to what a chipmunk does.
Ockene also cited an earlier study in which participants ate more as the season changed but reported still being hungry despite the larger meals. This suggested the seasonal effect on hunger might overpower normal satiety triggers.
Okay, so we don’t have to feel guilty about putting on a few pounds over the winter. On the other hand, there are ways to ward off those hunger pangs. As soon as your stomach starts demanding more food, stop a minute and tell yourself that you live in a warm place, not a cave, and you don’t really need to stuff yourself with chocolate chip cookies.
Heat a cup of water in the microwave, and reach for a bag of green tea. Maybe give it a little flavor with some mint or peach tea. Sit down and drink it slowly. There now, your stomach is calming down. You’ve warded off the winter hungries. Now, go do something else to take your mind off food. Read a book. Scrub the kitchen floor. Play a game on your computer.
And remember, spring is just around the corner.