We have the need to feed ourselves because our body consumes energy and needs to replace it with some type of food. When this happens we say that we are hungry, which is the same as having an appetite.
First of all, appetite is a physiological necessity. In fact, when someone does not feel like eating, they have a lack of appetite, which can be a symptom of something (for example, a digestive disorder or even caused by a distressing situation).
Children with poor appetite
Some children show little interest in food. Obviously, this behavior causes concern to their parents, who are likely to seek a solution . In these cases, pediatricians advise eating something to whet your appetite. There are several strategies to resolve this situation: to serve small portions, try the meal time is a good time, encouraging children to participate in the preparation of food , etc.
From the point of view of infant feeding , you should try to make the dishes as appetizing as possible. To achieve this, those who cook a dish can use two strategies: 1) prepare the food correctly and using condiments that enhance the flavor and 2) present the dishes in an attractive way (as it is popularly said, food enters through the eyes).
Beyond food
When we find something very interesting and eye-catching, we say that it is palatable. Let's imagine that a friend tells us about a trip he wants to take and explains the project in all kinds of details. Listening to his words is very likely to awaken in us the desire to make the same trip, because it is something attractive, that is, appetizing.
The sex drive is likewise a universal behavior pattern. The current of psychoanalysis has been concerned with studying and understanding the internal mechanisms of sexuality and for this it has coined a term, the sexual appetite. In this way, psychoanalysts maintain that we have sexual appetites because there is an inner energy in us, the libido.
Libido is a drive that activates sexual desire or sexual appetite. In this sense, there are alterations in this appetite (for example, when someone has no interest in having sex or, on the contrary, when the libido is very intense and there is an excessive interest in sexuality).
Sexual loss of appetite can be problematic, especially in stable romantic relationships. As for the causes, in some cases they are physiological (for example, a hormonal alteration), although it also originates for psychological reasons ( feeling of routine, stress, depression, etc.).