A new year often brings resolutions, and one in particular keeps coming up: eat less and better. But there's no need to put yourself on drastic diets, shut down your taste buds, or weigh your food down to the gram. If you have an insatiable appetite in winter, it's not a problem, but rather a survival instinct. You need to make up for the calories you lose due to the cold.
Eating more in winter, a blamed but natural reflex
While a few salads are perfectly adequate in summer, in winter our stomachs are on high alert and our taste buds are hyperactive. We have the appetite of Obelix, and the season doesn't help. Winter is the season for raclette , fondue, gargantuan family meals, and nostalgic afternoon snacks. We're practically always staring at our plates, and eating is no longer just a basic necessity, but a full-fledged pastime. Our hunger is insatiable: we double our portions, we revel in rich dishes, and our stomachs seem to control our every move. And you don't need to have been skiing all day to crave tartiflette or creamy gratins.
These cravings, which we try to quell with detox juices and diet recipes, are not pathological. They are instinctive and do not stem from a lack of willpower. At a time when the media urges us to lose the holiday weight and bombards us with "slimming" messages, it's time to remember this biological reality.
"It's not just hunger; it's how your brain compensates for low mood and reduced sunlight, which can easily lead to a cycle of overeating," explains Dr. Crystal Wyllie in Study Finds . Ultimately, we're not really responsible for these winter cravings; it's a primal bodily reflex. It goes for the simplest and most obvious thing to fill the dopamine and serotonin gap: the fridge.
The body seeks energy… in food
"In winter, you have to eat to keep warm," "When the cold bites, the pot shouldn't be empty." We've all heard these phrases from our grandparents. Well, perhaps it's time to listen to the true voice of wisdom and stop blaming ourselves for "lapses" that aren't really lapses at all.
In winter, the body works harder to maintain its internal temperature. Even if we're nice and warm at home, our body senses the outside cold and activates its protective mechanisms. This requires energy. And it gets that energy from what we eat. Hence the importance of not being too hard on ourselves and our appearance.
During cold weather, the feeling of fullness is also harder to achieve, and it's not just a feeling. Because of the cold and lack of sunlight, ghrelin, the hormone that makes us hungry, rises in the body. At the same time, leptin, which tells us "I've had enough," drops. As a result, we can eat a raclette followed by a chocolate fondant without ever feeling "full." This misleads us and leads us to overeat.
Why do we crave sugar and fat most of all?
In winter, it's not cucumber salad or carrot dip that tempts us. It's fattier foods that don't even qualify for a Nutri-Score. When we have winter cravings, we don't reach for a fresh apple, but for rich cakes, salted caramel bars, or straight into the jar of chocolate spread. This isn't necessarily a sign of bulimia or a reflection of another eating disorder. The "scientific" explanation is more reassuring.
Sugar and fat have one thing in common: they provide a quick energy boost. The brain loves that, especially when fatigue, cold weather, and lack of sunlight accumulate. But there's more to it than that. These foods stimulate the production of serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good hormones. In winter, when our mood falters, the body instinctively seeks what soothes it. A creamy soup, a chocolate dessert, or a pasta dish creates a feeling of emotional security. This isn't about indulgence. It's about self-regulation.
Storing fat in winter, a necessity
These winter cravings, often blamed but rarely understood, are not uncontrolled food urges, nor the result of "letting oneself go." Yet, in the days when our ancestors wore animal skins around their waists, this extra weight wasn't criticized, but rather encouraged. A study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco confirms this theory, often used as a justification.
"Building up fat reserves in the fall, when fruits and nuts are plentiful, is a deeply ancestral strategy for surviving the winter," explains Professor Andrew Higginson, a biologist, to The Telegraph .
Winter is a season of retreat, slowness, and protection. Trying to eat as if it were the middle of summer is often a form of self-harm. Your body knows what it needs to get through the cold, so let it do its thing.
