Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Why the weather affects your appetitive and how to control your eating habits better

Sunny weather can affect our eating habits.
Sunny weather can affect our eating habits.

Seasonal changes and shifts in temperature can very easily influence our eating habits much more than you would think.

With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, thoughts of ice cream in the park and iced lattes on the way to work fill my mind.

The warmth of the environment naturally lends to the idea that we should be drinking and eating foods that help cool us down.

eating habits
Hot weather calls for a visit to the local ice cream shop.

But why is this the case?

What is going on inside and outside our bodies that causes this shift in eating habits and how do we take control of it?

Weather affects appetite

Studies have highlighted that in warmer climates people tend to eat less food as well as opting for lighter’ and ‘cooler’ foods.

The reason for this, according to research by John R. Brobeck, is that the body tries to regulate its own heat based on the temperature around it.

eating habits
Naturally we opt for lighter foods in the hotter months.

This is due to the fact that the food we eat is used as energy to keep the body warm and since we don’t need as much warmth, we require less of it.

And similarly when winter arrives, our bodies will react to the cooler temperatures and encourage us to eat more to keep warm.

That is probably why when you’re lounging in the sun on holiday, you want to eat lighter meals and crave drink more fluids, while in the depths of winter, many of us turn to heartier dishes like stews and soup, and warm drinks like hot chocolate, to fill us up more.

eating habits
When winter arrives hot drinks are always on the menu.

We drink more in the heat

In addition, when we go out into the sun or a warm area, our bodies will start to sweat more to again regulate the heat level it is experiencing.

As a result, we are more likely to drink more  rather than eat in these conditions meaning naturally we consume less and alter our eating habits.

This is often the reason why many of us find it much easier to control our food cravings and weight in the summer months of the year.

eating habits
Our bodies need more liquid to replace the water lost from sweating in warmer months.

Eating habits change with availability

Seasonal changes not only affect our body heat, but also the types of food that grow in our local area.

In January there is an abundance of root vegetables and fish, moving into April when the bees are busy making honey, and in June we can enjoy those freshly grown Scottish soft fruits.

eating habits
Strawberry season arrives in June.

Although supermarkets provide options for us all year round, trying to shop local and being more aware of our carbon footprint has caused massive changes in what we choose to buy and how we eat.

As a result what is available to us can massively impact our eating habits and the produce we can buy is very weather and season dependent.

Being aware of your surroundings is crucial for making better lifestyle choices and creating beneficial eating habits.

So next time you are deciding what to eat, you might want to check the weather first.


This article is part of an ongoing series where topics around food and drink and behaviour will be discussed.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to read about, please provide your suggestions in the submission form below.

An error has occurred while loading your details. Please click the following link to try again - if the issue persists, please don't hesitate to contact us. Try again by refreshing the page.


Mariam Okhai is a food and drink journalist who also researches food behaviour.

She has a Masters in Behavioural Science for Management from the University of Stirling. Her undergraduate degree was in Psychology and Business Economics with Marketing. 

She is also a certified habit coach.

You can find out more about her research on her Behavioural Foodie website.


More from food behaviour…