It’s not the ocean air, the warm sand beneath your feet or even that ill-conceived “beach body” diet – the beach makes us hungry by triggering our biological need to eat, and our emotional one, according to research reported in the Washington Post.
For all we head to the beach to relax, the process of getting there can work up quite the appetite. “I think we underestimate the laborious nature of going to the beach,” said Lisa Moskovitz, a dietician and CEO of the NY Nutrition Group. “Planning, lugging our chairs, walking on the sand … sometimes you’re already like two hours into physical activity before you’re actually sitting down on a towel or chair and relaxing,” she told the Post.
Then there are all the activities once you get there. Swimming is a popular form of exercise for a reason and every other activity, from scavenging for seashells to beach volleyball, is that much more physically demanding because you’re doing it in sand.
[See more: hush! Beach Concerts seeks local bands and artists]
Your food choices can also contribute to hunger. If you’re chowing down on fun foods like chips, ice cream and other popular boardwalk fare, you may still feel hungry after. That’s your body asking for more nutritious food to keep your brain and body going, or to weather the inevitable sugar crash that comes after the sugar high fuelled by high-sugar or refined carbohydrate foods.
Avery Zenker, a dietician in Ontario, Canada, weighed in on the emotional sources of beach hunger. Seeing other people eating, feeling relaxed or feeling bored, she explained, can all make us feel hungry. So can your associations. If you always ate a certain food at the beach growing up, you’ll find yourself craving that childhood treat as soon as you hit the beach.
While there’s not much you can – or should – do about nostalgia-based cravings, the expertise shared by dieticians in the Post does point to ways to mitigate other drivers of beach hunger. Stay hydrated, pack nutritious foods in addition to the fun ones, and be mindful of sugar crashes. A little care goes a long way in helping you make the most of your oceanside getaway – and making some new memories in the waning days of summer, or even the unseasonably warm autumn expected for Macao.
