Not everyone would relate to this, but most people might feel their appetite changes according to the seasons; while in the winter we tend to feel hungry more often, during the months of summer, some of us lose our appetite (to a certain extent). this feeling isn’t just in your head, and you aren’t alone in this, on the contrary. there are a lot of psychological as well as physical explanation as to why we tend to lose our appetite during the warm months, and we’re here to explore them.

During the winter, we tend to hibernate in our homes. it sounds funny, but it’s perfectly true; staying at home under a cozy blanket with a hot cup of cocoa sounds a lot more tempting than going out in a blizzard. we tend to overeat to keep warm, which is both a psychological and a physical need humans get during cold weather.

On the contrary, during the summer we spend most of the day outside; we spend entire days at the beach, on road trips or otherwise hanging outside with our friends, and we might forget to eat, or, at least, our meals are not as planned and organized as they’re ought to be.

This seems pretty obvious, but there’s also a scientific explanation behind this phenomenon, that explains the effects of heat on our appetite. We know that eating provides our body much-needed energy, which helps our body to stay warm. Accordingly, in the cold months of winter we might over-eat to provide our body with extra energy and help regulate our body temperature, and during the summer, when it’s hot outside, we don’t need any extra help to make our bodies warmer, so we might find ourselves eat less, which is perfectly normal.

For the same reason, during the winter we might turn to foods that help us feel full for a longer period of time, such as foods rich in carbs and salty foods, while in the summer, when we often feel dehydrated, we turn to lighter, dehydrating foods, such as vegetables (particularly cucumbers or watermelon).

Whether your eating habits change during the summer or not, the most important thing is so listen to what your body needs – don’t overeat and don’t under-eat, but just eat whatever feels right – your body knows what it needs. It’s important to make sure you consume enough protein and vegetables no matter the weather outside.