Intro:
The human body works flawlessly with little intervention. Everything from respiratory to digestive processes function like a well-oiled machine.
When you’re hurt, your body alerts you to the problem through pain. The same goes for hunger and thirst. These are signs that something is interrupting the natural flaw of things.
That’s why you should be concerned when you have no appetite. Your body needs food to fuel its functions. The lack of appetite may be a sign that something isn’t right.
There can be tons of possible reasons why you don’t feel like eating. That’s why effective treatment of loss of appetite requires pinpointing the cause.
Loss of appetite will generally fall into these categories:
- Physical illnesses
- Mental health issues
- Drug side effects
Treating the cause of loss of appetite will also address the issue. Still, we’ve compiled for you five general ways to increase your appetite regardless of what’s causing it:
1. Eat Different Foods
When you’re not really interested in food, it’s hard to settle on anything. You may find yourself pretty picky with what you want, and you may end up changing your mind long before you touch the food.
That’s the loss of appetite making you act that way.
However, if you had multiple options spread out before you, it may trick your mind long enough for you to eat more.
On the other hand, if you were to go with one type of food, you’ll most likely leave the plate barely touched.
2. Don’t Focus on Mealtimes
It seems like a great idea to be strict with your mealtime since you’ve lost your appetite.
But sticking to meal schedules doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll actually eat your food. You could force those scheduled meal times to work, but there’s a better and a lot less demanding solution for this.
So, instead of waiting hours to eat with little assurance that you’ll eat enough food, try eating tiny portions here and there throughout the day.
The idea is to eat small portions multiple times a day instead of focusing on a big meal that may not work out.
3. Start Exercising
If you’re having issues with eating and you lead a sedentary life, it’s time to consider getting active because inactivity makes things worse.
Start exercising since being active helps you burn calories. The body needs calories to restore energy and rebuild. When your calorie deposits are depleted, the body will alert you to eat.
Tap into that natural need by working out and see if it triggers hunger.
4. Use Appetite Stimulants
A more direct and effective cause of action against the loss of appetite is using appetite stimulants. These are medications and supplements designed to trigger the desire to eat.
Common medications recognized by the FDA for increasing appetite are oxandrolone, megestrol acetate, and dronabinol. You can get these by prescription.
Aside from prescription meds, you can opt for natural remedies.
Cannabis, for instance, is a natural appetite stimulant. THC, a strong psychoactive compound in marijuana, is known to activate hunger responses.
The thing is, with marijuana being illegal on the federal level, no doctor will prescribe it. In most states like California, you’ll need to be approved for a medical marijuana card before you can legally make purchases.
5. Snack Away
When you lose your appetite, the last thing you want to see before you is a plate of food.
In cases where an illness or its medications cause the loss of appetite, it may not be possible to simply force yourself to eat as the sight of food alone may cause nausea.
A temporary solution would be snacks because they don’t seem to have the effect food has. In fact, many people gravitate towards snacks when they’ve lost interest in food.
If you’re finding it easier to eat snacks, take advantage of the opportunity and eat the healthy, nutritious ones. This way, you can make sure you’re not depleting the body’s nutrient reserves.
You don’t need to eat solid foods either if your body isn’t up for it. Try nutritious drinks to keep yourself hydrated while also benefiting from the nutritional value.
Conclusion
When you don’t have a healthy appetite, eating can be a chore. It can go from a sheer lack of interest in food to wrenching whenever you see or smell food.
It’s pretty normal to lose your appetite from time to time since our state of mind can also affect our interest in food. However, poor appetite can also be a sign of a serious medical condition.
Ultimately, the lasting solution would be to find out what’s behind the loss of appetite and get treated. You should probably discuss things with your doctor before trying any of the tips we’ve shared.