During the cold winter months, many people find themselves hungrier than usual, reaching for larger portions and cozy comfort foods.
While cold temperatures are often blamed for winter weight gain, experts say the causes actually involve shorter days, disrupted circadian rhythms and subtle hormonal shifts.
“Winter appetite changes are more strongly influenced by reduced daylight and sunlight exposure and the resulting disruption to circadian rhythms — called chronodisruption — than by cold temperature alone,” Timothy Frie, a Florida-based nutritional neuroscientist and president of the National Academy of Neuronutrition, told Fox News Digital.
Some research suggests people may eat more in colder environments to generate body heat, but Frie said the evidence remains mixed.
“The evidence that cold weather consistently increases hunger hormones is suggestive but absolutely not definitive,” he said. “These hormonal variations are not consistent across all individuals.”
British Dr. Crystal Wyllie agrees that winter appetite shifts are often tied to changes in mood and light exposure.
“It’s not just hunger — it’s your brain’s way of compensating for lower mood and light levels, which can easily spiral into a cycle of overeating,” she told the science website StudyFinds.
Research suggests people gain an average of one to two pounds during colder months as reduced daylight throws off the body’s internal clock, alters appetite-regulating hormones and triggers cravings for carbohydrates that temporarily boost mood.
Here are five ways experts say you can help curb winter cravings.
1. Eat at consistent times
Food and eating act as time cues, or “zeitgebers,” a German term meaning “time-givers,” Frie noted. “Irregular eating patterns, especially in the absence of strong light cues, may exacerbate circadian disruption and increase vulnerability to cravings or dysregulated appetite during winter months,” he said.
Eating dinner a little earlier and keeping it light can help reestablish the body’s internal clock after the clocks go back since meal timing acts as a signal that helps regulate circadian rhythms, Neelofer Basaria, a Texas-based public health expert and certified health and wellness coach, previously told Fox News Digital.
2. Build meals around protein and fiber
Wyllie recommends starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast to help stabilize blood sugar and curb hunger longer, adding that beginning meals with high-fiber, low-calorie foods can further boost fullness and limit excess eating.
Foods like oats, lentils, beans, broccoli, apples and chia seeds help people feel satisfied sooner, making it easier to eat less when meals start with items like vegetable soup or salads with beans. Omega-3–rich foods like salmon and walnuts may also help regulate appetite by improving gut–brain signaling, while dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa can promote fullness by slowing digestion and triggering satiety hormones, StudyFinds reported.
3. Use spices strategically
Adding spices like chili, cayenne, black pepper or ginger may help curb winter hunger by increasing feelings of fullness and slightly suppressing appetite. Wyllie said compounds such as capsaicin, which is found in hot peppers, activate the body’s heat-production process, which can help reduce cravings.
Adding spicy peppers or hot paprika to meals can naturally reduce food intake by 11% to 18% by slowing eating pace and allowing the brain more time to register fullness, researchers at Penn State University found.
4. Drink water before meals
Drinking water or herbal tea before meals may help some people feel fuller and avoid mistaking thirst for hunger, with studies suggesting that about 2 cups consumed 30 minutes before eating can modestly reduce calorie intake.
Experts say keeping up with fluids in colder months can help prevent fatigue and low energy since dehydration often goes unnoticed when people don’t feel as thirsty.
5. Pay attention — not just to calories
Frie emphasized that managing appetite isn’t just about dieting but about paying attention to factors like sleep quality, mood, light exposure, stress and daily activity — all of which influence hunger and food choices, especially in winter.
“By noticing patterns, such as increased cravings after poor sleep or reduced appetite during low activity days, we can begin to identify our own physiological and behavioral cues regardless of the season,” he said.
“This self-observation practice builds awareness and cognitive flexibility, allowing for more adaptive responses to appetite signals year-round, rather than reactive patterns driven by season or circumstance.”
