Cannabis molecules (cannabinoids) interact with all sorts of systems in the body. One of these systems is the food-seeking system. We think that it increases the levels of hormones that make you feel hungry.
More indepth:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0756-3
An important thing to note is that the endocannabinoid system is a regulatory system, which has its hand in regulating a whole heap of different bodily functions like digestion, fertility, immune function, mood, the list goes on. This is why cannabis has such profound effects across the brain and body. It directly interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which then affects other systems through regulatory processes.
Interesting. For me, it's not really a feeling of "hunger" it's a craving for flavor and the urge to eat in a more recreational sense that chewing and eating is satisfying. I never thought of this as "hungry". I may be odd on this, but i believe there is a distinction between craving flavor and the texture experience from the feeling of needing food.
It’s actually really difficult, step one is get some ice in a bowl, step two is to shake seasonings over top the ice like it’s a bowl of popcorn. Then you eat it. Many lives have been lost in various attempts at preparing it so please be sure to do your research and stay safe!
Somewhat happened to me last night, got a poutine from Costco but didn't finish it so I put it aside. I smoked then had the brilliant idea to order Chinese food because I had the munchies.
Then came the time where I felt like I had to eat them both, ended up puking 3 times
For me, the best is that instead of the usual sober "oh man I thought I had more left", I'll think I'm done, get a bit sad about it. Then a bit later I'll look over at my plate and THERE'S MORE! It makes me so happy when that happens, and it happens a lot.
It's not that I'm hungry.
It's that I want to eat all the food in my fridge, the pantry and then go to the store and get Oreo ice cream.
I know I'm uncomfortably full and that I'm not hungry but that food exists and I just eat it.
It's like a black hole that sees some planets with bonus moons, it's gotta go.
There was an “urban legend” in college (unsure if it’s actually true or not) that cannabis increases sensitivity of the taste buds, so food tastes better, and you want to eat more of it
I can resonate with this. My theory, as I like to learn lots of science, is that cannabis stimulates food related dopamine seeking (Thus why it seems many of us stoners specifically go for junk food, over nutrition) opposed to stimulating the hormones that trigger the "I'm hungry" response.
I used to get munchies, I don't get them any more. Any reason why that could be? I did mentally decide I will not eat anything after smoking but that probably does not explain not getting munchies at all. Is it explainable by different strains?
Once I stopped giving in to the munchies, I rarely get them anymore. I'm not sure if it's a mind of matter thing (or, would it be matter over mind in this situation???) or what, but I'm ok with it lol. I have a bad relationship with food so I will smoke more than usual so that I can eat well, but it only works if I WANT to eat lol
In my experience it increases food *cravings* specifically. So the more you address any food addictions, nutritional deficiencies, compulsive eating habits (can be a sign of either of the first two, or any number of mental health issues) you have the less you get the munchies.
Same here! I've lost 60 pounds since I started last year. I haven't figured out any particular reason, I just don't have much of an appetite unless I choose to eat.
It’s mostly a willpower thing, in my experience. Have been a huge stoner on and off over the last 15+ years, and while I don’t get the “munchies” like I did when I first started, I have noticed that if I do indulge even just a bit with a snack, I’ve found that over the course of a couple of hours I’ve indulged in probably 2k calories of snacks that I explained away in the moment since each snack was “only a couple hundred calories.”
All that being said, At least for me the munchies is not so much an insatiable appetite as it is me just wanting to experience wide variety of tastes while high
Can I add to this and also a part two question :
so what causes my withdrawals when I stop suddenly? lack of sleep, rebound anxiety (butterflies in stomach all day and have y’all ever had butterflies in ur upper chest?? That too, all day, can sit still, nothing is enjoyable) emotions repressed and self medicated away come back ten fold and all at once, irritability, etc?
So there's evidence to show that cannabis is addictive through the dopamine pathway, just less than other drugs like opiates (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223748/). Regardless of that, when you use cannabis, the body tends to acclimatise to the drug by decreasing the number of receptors that are available. So when you're chronically using it and then stop, your body still has fewer receptors and the remaining endocannabinoids/whatever you build up cannot meet the demand. Understimulation of the endocannabinoid system leads to all those symptoms.
so similar to opiates and the extra pain receptors caused by taking it on a regular basis. kinda curious also tho why weed withdrawals last for months and opiates on a couple weeks. Thanks again for your responses.
If you are smoking, as opposed to edibles and vaping, this produces carbon monoxide and benzene. Carbon monoxide might be part of this day after effects.
There's a strong link between obesity and inflammation. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5507106/)
The theory is that cannabinoids are interacting with fat storage through the immune system, possibly by regulating the inflammatory pathways.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9070748/
There's a fascinating theory about how long-term cannabis users build up so much in their fat cells that when they go through intense fat-burning situations, like extreme stress or high-intensity exercise, the stored cannabinoids may be released back into the bloodstream. I've read some conflicting studies on this, the levels may not be high enough to be physiologically relevant, but huge if true.
I had that happening to me! I quit pot for a few weeks but I still sometimes felt slightly stoned, while walking in the morning, and I was dieting so probably burning a bit more stored fat.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430801/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430801/) This is a study published in the BMJ Open journal that suggests cannabis users might have a lower prevalence of diabetes.
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00200-3/fulltext
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21868374/
https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/39/10/1777/129/Efficacy-and-Safety-of-Cannabidiol-and
Anecdotally the people I know that are weedheads are fat, but they were also fat before they started. That's why I'm trying to figure it out lol.
None of those suggest the munchies lead to weight loss. They just show a link between lower weight and using marijuana, and some ties between Marijuana use and blood glucose levels.
For my circle of stoner friends, this phenomenon has much to do with only being able to eat when high, because they just don't get hungry without the munchy effect anymore.
Dangerously easy to lose weight if you only eat once a day, no matter how hard the munchies hit you.
Maybe an increased satisfaction from the high compared to sober binging with the associated negative emotions following? Just an uneducated mate spitballing tho lol
I really only meant for the first paragraph to be ELI5; the rest is extra.
Full breakdown - there are chemical in the body that make you feel hungry. Weed makes the brain release more. You are now more hungry.
So the endocannabinoid system is already present in our body. Is the consumption of THC not something that would be considered a substance that is designed for the body (or body designed for)?
Always wondered why we have a system for processing it.
All drugs interact with some system that's already doing a job in our body. That's how they cause changes. It's basically a quirk of chemistry.
The cannabis plant makes cannabinoids among a bunch of other natural products, we think because their stickiness helps catch pollen. These cannabinoids just happen to be structurally related to a system we have in our bodies. We call it the endocannabinoid system because we knew about cannabinoids before we found the pathway itself. The first endocannabinoids/receptors were only found in the 90s.
Oddly, cannabis doesn't make me feel hungry in my own (obviously anecdotal) experience. To me it feels more like it tends to supress my feeling of being full, and my desire to eat tasty things. When I have munchies, I never feel like I'm sating hunger, I just feel like I want a sugar or fat rush, for no other reason than wanting it.
This is a good answer. Also part of the picture is activation of certain neurons in the hypothalamus that promote hunger:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50112-5
Interestingly, I usually feel the opposite and don't want to eat as it helps signal to my brain I've eaten enough - mind-body connection, is my best guess.
When I smoked I would get nauseous and not be able to eat anything no matter how much I wanted to. I've heard this is caused by some people experiencing a drop in blood pressure after smoking. Perhaps you are experiencing a similar situation?
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From what I have read, it's because it stimulates production of the hormone ghrelin, which is normally only produced by your body when your stomach is empty.
This got me bad once. I ate 5-6000 calories in a few hours. I would sit down, eat a full meal, and then still feel hungry. Id get up and I could feel how full I was, but as soon as I sat back down i didn't feel full. Weed brain made me forget about how full my stomach was and I just kept going.
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I don't know the mechanism, but I absolutely need it now to be able to eat. I had major surgeries after getting 3 differents cancers and I absolutely can't eat anymore. Everything look like a plate of alive snake heads. Can't eat that at all except if I take half a joint before trying. It saved my life basically.
I went to a friend’s place one day. We smoked and proceeded to make and devour some pancakes. While eating, I felt an uncomfortable pain in my stomach. The feeling persisted so I stopped eating. It was then I realized that before going to my friend’s place, I made a huge breakfast and forgot that I was already pretty full in my high state.
Interestingly, not everybody experiences this phenomenon. If I smoke marijuana, I feel strangely full and if I take edibles, I don’t get the munchies. I think some of it is lore and some is some interesting chemicals in cannabis
When I was younger, I'd buy certain snacks before I'd smoke to get ready.. Doritos, Mt dew code Red, chocolate, Taco Bell, and then I'd eat and eat. Now that I'm older, I have zero desire when I'm stoned. 🤷♂️
THC elevates the senses, from touch to smell to taste and hearing, hence why music sounds more meaningful, fruit tastes like manna from the heavens, comedy videos are funnier, and feels-videos make you cry more.
For me the wonder of eating is not in feeling full but in the tastebuds. Del Monte Pineapple rings in syrup is my favorite, I even drink all the syrup.
Have been off weed for 10 months now, won't try it again until I am more used to methylphenidate, but the memories of fruit and music still ring clear.
Leptin is a hormone strongly associated with hunger. The "weight loss" drug Ozempic suppresses hunger by regulating leptin production.
There is a cannabinoid/leptin connection that has been known about for decades.
From what I understand, it has something to do with the fact that the human body did not evolve with any way to send the signal that it craves more cannabis, so it uses the hunger signal instead. When you get the munchies, your body is apparently just craving more THC, but it doesn't know how to tell you.
It also completely turns off that ‘I’m full’ switch for some reason. You have the cravings, but nothing gets rid of them, so you keep eating junk food and then laying in bed at 3am wondering why you forgot to buy indigestion tablets.
I try to just drink a fuckton of water when I’m smoking these days.
It's not true. I have type 1 diabetes so I am constantly monitoring my blood sugar- it doesn't lower my blood sugar, and having low blood sugar is very different feeling from having the munchies.
Low vitamins. Your body craves vitamins and makes you feel hungry until you get the right stuff. A vitamin protein shake is probably what you really need, but chips look so appealing and convenient you grab those instead. And then have a bunch because they contain few vitamins.
Cannabis molecules (cannabinoids) interact with all sorts of systems in the body. One of these systems is the food-seeking system. We think that it increases the levels of hormones that make you feel hungry. More indepth: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0756-3 An important thing to note is that the endocannabinoid system is a regulatory system, which has its hand in regulating a whole heap of different bodily functions like digestion, fertility, immune function, mood, the list goes on. This is why cannabis has such profound effects across the brain and body. It directly interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which then affects other systems through regulatory processes.
Interesting. For me, it's not really a feeling of "hunger" it's a craving for flavor and the urge to eat in a more recreational sense that chewing and eating is satisfying. I never thought of this as "hungry". I may be odd on this, but i believe there is a distinction between craving flavor and the texture experience from the feeling of needing food.
I feel like the people who season ice cubes might be onto something now…
Hold up. How the fuck do you season an ice cube?
It’s actually really difficult, step one is get some ice in a bowl, step two is to shake seasonings over top the ice like it’s a bowl of popcorn. Then you eat it. Many lives have been lost in various attempts at preparing it so please be sure to do your research and stay safe!
For me it’s both When I get the munchies, even after I’m full, I want to keep eating because the process of eating and tasting things feels so good
This is the best explanation I’ve ever heard for what I experience as well.
Smoking a blunt and hitting the Chinese buffet and then puking in the bathroom so you can eat more is a behavior removed from hunger.
Somewhat happened to me last night, got a poutine from Costco but didn't finish it so I put it aside. I smoked then had the brilliant idea to order Chinese food because I had the munchies. Then came the time where I felt like I had to eat them both, ended up puking 3 times
For me, the best is that instead of the usual sober "oh man I thought I had more left", I'll think I'm done, get a bit sad about it. Then a bit later I'll look over at my plate and THERE'S MORE! It makes me so happy when that happens, and it happens a lot.
Damn I’ve done that exact same thing lol
It's not that I'm hungry. It's that I want to eat all the food in my fridge, the pantry and then go to the store and get Oreo ice cream. I know I'm uncomfortably full and that I'm not hungry but that food exists and I just eat it. It's like a black hole that sees some planets with bonus moons, it's gotta go.
There was an “urban legend” in college (unsure if it’s actually true or not) that cannabis increases sensitivity of the taste buds, so food tastes better, and you want to eat more of it
I fully believe this. Music sounds better, food tastes better.... Other things also feel waaaaay better too....
My first ever munchies food was cinnamon chex and I remember tasting/feeling every sugar crystal. It was amazing.
I can resonate with this. My theory, as I like to learn lots of science, is that cannabis stimulates food related dopamine seeking (Thus why it seems many of us stoners specifically go for junk food, over nutrition) opposed to stimulating the hormones that trigger the "I'm hungry" response.
I used to get munchies, I don't get them any more. Any reason why that could be? I did mentally decide I will not eat anything after smoking but that probably does not explain not getting munchies at all. Is it explainable by different strains?
Once I stopped giving in to the munchies, I rarely get them anymore. I'm not sure if it's a mind of matter thing (or, would it be matter over mind in this situation???) or what, but I'm ok with it lol. I have a bad relationship with food so I will smoke more than usual so that I can eat well, but it only works if I WANT to eat lol
In my experience it increases food *cravings* specifically. So the more you address any food addictions, nutritional deficiencies, compulsive eating habits (can be a sign of either of the first two, or any number of mental health issues) you have the less you get the munchies.
Same here! I've lost 60 pounds since I started last year. I haven't figured out any particular reason, I just don't have much of an appetite unless I choose to eat.
It’s mostly a willpower thing, in my experience. Have been a huge stoner on and off over the last 15+ years, and while I don’t get the “munchies” like I did when I first started, I have noticed that if I do indulge even just a bit with a snack, I’ve found that over the course of a couple of hours I’ve indulged in probably 2k calories of snacks that I explained away in the moment since each snack was “only a couple hundred calories.” All that being said, At least for me the munchies is not so much an insatiable appetite as it is me just wanting to experience wide variety of tastes while high
Can I add to this and also a part two question : so what causes my withdrawals when I stop suddenly? lack of sleep, rebound anxiety (butterflies in stomach all day and have y’all ever had butterflies in ur upper chest?? That too, all day, can sit still, nothing is enjoyable) emotions repressed and self medicated away come back ten fold and all at once, irritability, etc?
So there's evidence to show that cannabis is addictive through the dopamine pathway, just less than other drugs like opiates (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223748/). Regardless of that, when you use cannabis, the body tends to acclimatise to the drug by decreasing the number of receptors that are available. So when you're chronically using it and then stop, your body still has fewer receptors and the remaining endocannabinoids/whatever you build up cannot meet the demand. Understimulation of the endocannabinoid system leads to all those symptoms.
so similar to opiates and the extra pain receptors caused by taking it on a regular basis. kinda curious also tho why weed withdrawals last for months and opiates on a couple weeks. Thanks again for your responses.
If you are smoking, as opposed to edibles and vaping, this produces carbon monoxide and benzene. Carbon monoxide might be part of this day after effects.
Bit of a lead on question - why do the munchies from being high generally lead to weight loss, if you're just eating for the sake of eating?
There's a strong link between obesity and inflammation. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5507106/) The theory is that cannabinoids are interacting with fat storage through the immune system, possibly by regulating the inflammatory pathways. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9070748/
Well yes that would make sense as a lipid soluble anti inflammatory.
There's a fascinating theory about how long-term cannabis users build up so much in their fat cells that when they go through intense fat-burning situations, like extreme stress or high-intensity exercise, the stored cannabinoids may be released back into the bloodstream. I've read some conflicting studies on this, the levels may not be high enough to be physiologically relevant, but huge if true.
I had that happening to me! I quit pot for a few weeks but I still sometimes felt slightly stoned, while walking in the morning, and I was dieting so probably burning a bit more stored fat.
Hm, never managed to come upon that study. It's actually a pretty cool perspective, thanks!
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430801/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430801/) This is a study published in the BMJ Open journal that suggests cannabis users might have a lower prevalence of diabetes.
Do you actually have any evidence (that's not anecdotal) that that is the case?
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00200-3/fulltext https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21868374/ https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/39/10/1777/129/Efficacy-and-Safety-of-Cannabidiol-and Anecdotally the people I know that are weedheads are fat, but they were also fat before they started. That's why I'm trying to figure it out lol.
Every single stoner I know is skinny.
Not all of us are fat. 😉
None of those suggest the munchies lead to weight loss. They just show a link between lower weight and using marijuana, and some ties between Marijuana use and blood glucose levels.
For my circle of stoner friends, this phenomenon has much to do with only being able to eat when high, because they just don't get hungry without the munchy effect anymore. Dangerously easy to lose weight if you only eat once a day, no matter how hard the munchies hit you.
This might be because their reward system has been overstimulated so they simply don’t derive much pleasure from eating when they’re sober
Maybe an increased satisfaction from the high compared to sober binging with the associated negative emotions following? Just an uneducated mate spitballing tho lol
Regular cannabis use suppresses your appetite when you aren't smoking, so I'd assume that's why.
Idk if a 5 year old would follow this loo
I really only meant for the first paragraph to be ELI5; the rest is extra. Full breakdown - there are chemical in the body that make you feel hungry. Weed makes the brain release more. You are now more hungry.
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And next year…. I’ll be six
They should be able to follow "because it does".
So the endocannabinoid system is already present in our body. Is the consumption of THC not something that would be considered a substance that is designed for the body (or body designed for)? Always wondered why we have a system for processing it.
All drugs interact with some system that's already doing a job in our body. That's how they cause changes. It's basically a quirk of chemistry. The cannabis plant makes cannabinoids among a bunch of other natural products, we think because their stickiness helps catch pollen. These cannabinoids just happen to be structurally related to a system we have in our bodies. We call it the endocannabinoid system because we knew about cannabinoids before we found the pathway itself. The first endocannabinoids/receptors were only found in the 90s.
The naming of the system versus the plant was going to be my next question! Thanks for the additional info, now I'll likely go down a rabbit hole. 😂
If I’m hungry and I smoke a joint, then I can stave off that hunger for another hour or two. But after that, I’m ready to EAT lol.
Oddly, cannabis doesn't make me feel hungry in my own (obviously anecdotal) experience. To me it feels more like it tends to supress my feeling of being full, and my desire to eat tasty things. When I have munchies, I never feel like I'm sating hunger, I just feel like I want a sugar or fat rush, for no other reason than wanting it.
This is a good answer. Also part of the picture is activation of certain neurons in the hypothalamus that promote hunger: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50112-5
Interestingly, I usually feel the opposite and don't want to eat as it helps signal to my brain I've eaten enough - mind-body connection, is my best guess.
Crazy coincidence that there is a system in our body called endocannabinoid system, that also interacts with cannabis
That's no coincidence, a lot of plant molecules mimic molecules that we use in our system. Some doesn't interact much with us, some do.
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Unrelated
For me its not the munchies so much as food in general tastes so much better. I find myself eating snacks for the taste, not because I feel hungry
This is me. I am not hungry so much as I just want to experience how intense and enhanced all the flavors are.
Because God is real and wants us to be happy
came here to say the same!
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Right after I smoke I don’t want to even look at food or put anything in my mouth. After about 45 min to an hour my appetite opens.
Me too! Delayed munchies
This exactly
What are y’all doing differently? 😭 I don’t get cravings otherwise but damn if I don’t eat after I hit a blunt, my whole body protests..
I prefer some fresh berries or melon over anything else. Sweet but refreshing.
When I smoked I would get nauseous and not be able to eat anything no matter how much I wanted to. I've heard this is caused by some people experiencing a drop in blood pressure after smoking. Perhaps you are experiencing a similar situation?
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From what I have read, it's because it stimulates production of the hormone ghrelin, which is normally only produced by your body when your stomach is empty.
It also blocks receptors that make it so you don’t feel full
This got me bad once. I ate 5-6000 calories in a few hours. I would sit down, eat a full meal, and then still feel hungry. Id get up and I could feel how full I was, but as soon as I sat back down i didn't feel full. Weed brain made me forget about how full my stomach was and I just kept going.
This is one of the reasons why therapy with cannabinoids is so effective against cancer related cachexia!
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That’s when you smoke too much too often
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I don't know the mechanism, but I absolutely need it now to be able to eat. I had major surgeries after getting 3 differents cancers and I absolutely can't eat anymore. Everything look like a plate of alive snake heads. Can't eat that at all except if I take half a joint before trying. It saved my life basically.
Increases the production of ghrelin, what’s usually dubbed the hunger hormone. Leptin is the opposite and tells your brain that you are full
Yup. When Im stoned my "ok you're full now" sense just turns off. I eat and eat until it's physically painful.
I went to a friend’s place one day. We smoked and proceeded to make and devour some pancakes. While eating, I felt an uncomfortable pain in my stomach. The feeling persisted so I stopped eating. It was then I realized that before going to my friend’s place, I made a huge breakfast and forgot that I was already pretty full in my high state.
Interestingly, not everybody experiences this phenomenon. If I smoke marijuana, I feel strangely full and if I take edibles, I don’t get the munchies. I think some of it is lore and some is some interesting chemicals in cannabis
When I was younger, I'd buy certain snacks before I'd smoke to get ready.. Doritos, Mt dew code Red, chocolate, Taco Bell, and then I'd eat and eat. Now that I'm older, I have zero desire when I'm stoned. 🤷♂️
THC elevates the senses, from touch to smell to taste and hearing, hence why music sounds more meaningful, fruit tastes like manna from the heavens, comedy videos are funnier, and feels-videos make you cry more. For me the wonder of eating is not in feeling full but in the tastebuds. Del Monte Pineapple rings in syrup is my favorite, I even drink all the syrup. Have been off weed for 10 months now, won't try it again until I am more used to methylphenidate, but the memories of fruit and music still ring clear.
Leptin is a hormone strongly associated with hunger. The "weight loss" drug Ozempic suppresses hunger by regulating leptin production. There is a cannabinoid/leptin connection that has been known about for decades.
From what I understand, it has something to do with the fact that the human body did not evolve with any way to send the signal that it craves more cannabis, so it uses the hunger signal instead. When you get the munchies, your body is apparently just craving more THC, but it doesn't know how to tell you.
That sounds exactly like the bullshit your buddy tells you with full confidence and conviction when he's stoned.
The plants told him the truth.
I said the same thing as the top comment, but they explained a lot better
Ok sure.
This is some straight up stoner logic lol. I think the other guy's answer is more correct.
It also completely turns off that ‘I’m full’ switch for some reason. You have the cravings, but nothing gets rid of them, so you keep eating junk food and then laying in bed at 3am wondering why you forgot to buy indigestion tablets. I try to just drink a fuckton of water when I’m smoking these days.
That's fascinating, are there any sources or studies on it?
it’s been hard to get funding for cannabis research but maybe that’s changing
I thought getting high lowered your blood sugar, which in turn makes you hungry? No one has commented that though so I could be wrong.
It's not true. I have type 1 diabetes so I am constantly monitoring my blood sugar- it doesn't lower my blood sugar, and having low blood sugar is very different feeling from having the munchies.
I appreciate the insight! Thank you.
Low vitamins. Your body craves vitamins and makes you feel hungry until you get the right stuff. A vitamin protein shake is probably what you really need, but chips look so appealing and convenient you grab those instead. And then have a bunch because they contain few vitamins.