Your brain’s meal memory system
A team from the University of Southern California recently identified specialised “meal memory” neurons in the ventral hippocampus of rats, the same brain region involved in forming memories. These neurons create what the researchers call meal engrams, memory traces that store not just what you ate, but when and where you ate it.
“An engram is the physical trace that a memory leaves behind in the brain. Meal engrams function like sophisticated biological databases that store multiple types of information such as where you were eating, as well as the time that you ate,” explained Professor Scott Kanoski, who led the study.
When these neurons were disrupted, the animals overate, even though they weren’t physically hungry. The researchers also found that these “meal memory” neurons communicate with the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that regulates hunger. Blocking this connection caused overeating and confusion about where meals had been consumed.
Why distracted eating leads to overeating
This research helps explain why people with memory problems, such as dementia, often eat multiple meals in quick succession, but it also applies to the rest of us.
“When someone’s attention is focused elsewhere, on phone or TV screens, these critical encoding moments are compromised. The brain fails to properly catalogue the meal experience, leading to weak or incomplete meal engrams,” said postdoctoral scholar Lea Decarie-Spain, the study’s first author.
In other words, when we eat mindlessly, our brain doesn’t properly record that we’ve eaten, making it easier to reach for more food later. The findings reinforce the importance of being mentally present during meals, even short pauses between bites allow the brain to “file” the meal memory.
The sweet side of self-control
If remembering your meals is one half of the equation, enjoying them might be the other. A study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that dieters who allowed themselves small portions of their favourite “craved” foods, including desserts, lost more weight and were more likely to keep it off for a year.
“Our plan used an inclusion strategy. Instead of banning certain foods, people incorporated small portions of craved foods within a well-balanced meal,” explained nutrition professor Manabu Nakamura, one of the study’s authors.
Participants who followed this approach lost an average of 7,9% of their body weight in the first year and maintained a 6,7% loss over two years, better than typical long-term diet outcomes. Those who included occasional desserts or snacks reported fewer and weaker cravings for sweets and high-fat foods.
“The popular myth is you have to have a very strong will to fend off temptation, but that is not the case. Fluctuations in eating patterns, meal times and amounts trigger cravings, too. You have to be consistent,” Nakamura said.
Cravings fade when weight stays steady
The study also challenges the idea that hungry fat cells drive cravings.
“As long as you stay at a healthy weight, your cravings will remain low,” said first author Nouf Alfouzan. Participants who maintained their weight after the initial loss did not experience a rebound in cravings, even for sweets, suggesting that consistency, not restriction, keeps hunger in check.
What this means for everyday eaters
Both studies highlight that willpower alone isn’t the secret to healthy eating, memory and consistency play crucial roles too. You don’t need to ban your favourite foods or feel guilty for enjoying dessert, you just need to remember eating them. Here are a few practical takeaways.
- Be present at mealtimes. Put away your phone and savour your food. Even brief pauses between bites help the brain store “meal memories.”
- Don’t skip meals. Forgetting or delaying food can make hunger harder to control later.
- Include, don’t exclude. Plan small, balanced portions of the foods you crave instead of banning them entirely.
- Stay consistent. Regular meal times and steady eating patterns help reduce cravings and support long-term weight maintenance.
