Does the cold weather increase your appetite?

Cold weather, shorter days and plenty of holiday feasts contribute to winter weight gain but is it biological or just bad habits?

Not all scientists agree about our winter food-seeking habits.

“I’m not disputing the possibility that people eat more in the winter,” says Marcia Pelchat of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. But she says doesn’t think it’s a vestigial “chipmunk” instinct.

Pelchat says another explanation: Our winter eating habits are likely born of opportunity. There is more holiday feasting, better leftovers, more grazing in the kitchen, and fewer opportunities for playing and exercising outside.