If you haven’t eaten for a while and you finally eat why do u feel immediacy better and like u have more energy even though the food couldn’t have been absorbed into you body yet ?

Question

If you haven’t eaten for a while and you finally eat why do u feel immediacy better and like u have more energy even though the food couldn’t have been absorbed into you body yet ?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Because your brain lies to you.

As the time between meals grows, your brain starts freaking out. It doesn’t know the next time you are going to eat. You might not eat again. It begins sending hunger signals.

You need to eat.

You NEED to eat.

I’M RATIONING ENERGY BECAUSE WE MIGHT RUN OUT!

And then, ahhhh, a bite of food goes into your mouth. Your brain realizes it was being so silly holding onto all that energy and signals your body thats it’s ok to begin burning fuel at a normal rate again. The sugar receptors in your mouth let your body know that sugar will begin coursing into your bloodstream and filling up your energy stores in the next few minutes. Death averted…for a few more hours!

There is a great early episode of Radio Lab about something similar.
[https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/episodes/91709-limits](https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/episodes/91709-limits)