Managing Low Appetite

Low appetite can be caused by various factors, and it is important to understand how these might influence our ability to adequately fuel our bodies on a daily basis. Factors such as medications, mood, anxiety, an irregular food routine, and changes in digestion can impact appetite. Recognizing and understanding these factors is the first step in being able to address them. Managing low appetite and increasing intake can help improve energy levels, increase focus and concentration, and improve mood.

Common factors influencing appetite:

  • Medications - certain medications can cause decreased appetite as a side effect.
  • Mood - stress, sadness, depression, and other emotions can impact appetite.
  • Anxiety - increased anxiety can trigger a lack of appetite in some individuals.
  • Irregular food routine - skipping meals and/or inconsistent eating patterns can impact the body’s hunger signal, making it more difficult to sense when it is time to eat.
  • Changes in digestion - digestive issues, such as bloating and/or nausea, can make eating unpleasant and reduce appetite.

Hunger vs Appetite: What’s the difference?

It is important to be able to tell the difference between hunger and appetite, as they can affect how we may approach eating.

Hunger = physical sensation of discomfort or weakness due to inadequate food.

Appetite = a strong desire or liking to a food - can be more heavily influenced by mood, cravings, environment, and external cues (i.e. seeing a food on TV or in a social setting).

It is important to take the time to discover how your body tells you that it is hungry! Even when appetite is low, it is important to tune into the signals your body might be giving you that it is time to eat. These may include a growling stomach, feeling weak or tired, irritability, and light-headedness, but can also be other cues that are individual to you!

Steps to eating:

When working to manage low appetite, the process of eating can feel very overwhelming! Making a plan to simplify the steps leading up to eating can help make food feel easier to manage.

Step 1 - Get food

Plan a regular time to get food: choose a day each week that fits best into your schedule for grocery shopping. Setting a time can help reduce procrastination and helps ensure you always have snacks and ingredients for meals on hand.

Create a staple grocery list: make a list of go-to items that you know you enjoy, and that are easy to prepare! This can help reduce decision fatigue and make grocery shopping more efficient.

Step 2 - Decide what to eat

Plan ideas in advance: planning meals and snacks ahead of time can help eliminate the stress of deciding what to eat in the moment.

Keep a list of options on hand: write down meal and snack ideas, so that when you are having trouble deciding what to eat you can refer back to the list for inspiration.

Have easy to eat foods on hand: sometimes even the thought of chewing can be difficult. Keeping soups, protein shakes, smoothie ingredients, and other soft foods on hand can help you get in some fuel when the act of chewing may feel more difficult. 

Step 3 - Make food

Prep food in advance, when able: preparing food ahead of time can help ease the mental load of having to cook every day. Consider batch cooking, pre-chopping vegetables, and packing meals for the next day in advance to help save time!

Keep pre-made & easy to assemble options on hand: have some ready-to-eat food and foods that require minimal effort on hand, such as frozen foods, salads, and pre-cut fruit and veggies to help alleviate some of the pressure from cooking everyday.

Step 4 - Eat!

Set reminders for regular eating times: having reminders to eat helps ensure that you’re fueling your body regularly. Even if appetite is low, sticking to a routine can help prevent those feelings of weakness, emptiness and discomfort.

Create a positive eating environment: make your mealtimes an enjoyable experience. Eat in a calm space, and try eating with others when you can to make meals feel more social!

Managing low appetite involves recognizing the factors that impact eating habits and taking small, consistent steps to make eating easier. By simplifying the process and creating a supportive eating environment, you can make food more manageable and help support both your physical and emotional well-being. Regular food routines, meal planning and prepping, and having easy to assemble food options on hand can help make a positive impact in overcoming challenges related to low appetite.

Haileigh Chenier, MAN student