eli5: How does our brain know when it requires water vs food?

Question

Sometimes we feel thirsty and sometimes, hungry. How does our brain know that apart?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I would argue that it doesn’t. In my experience the only difference between being hungry and thirsty is a dry mouth. For most people they often confuse the feeling of being thirsty for being hungry and this is one of the reasons people tend to over eat.