A feeling of hunger, followed by a feeling of satisfaction, is a normal reaction to the level of glucose, or blood sugar, present in the blood.

As the blood sugar level drops, it initiates a feeling of hunger.

A balanced meal will satiate this hunger as the blood receives a steady supply of glucose from the breakdown of carbohydrates.

The more complex the carbohydrate, the longer it will take for the sugar to be broken down and absorbed. The digestion of protein and fat also slows down the absorption of sugars helping to ensure that the body receives a gradual supply of glucose over a period of time.

As the food is digested and the level of blood sugar begins to rise, the pancreas reacts by releasing a hormone called insulin, thereby alerting the body to the presence of blood sugar.

The body uses the available blood sugar in several ways.Some cells will use it for their immediate energy needs whereas fat cells can break it apart and convert it into more fat cells. Only muscle and liver cells can store it by synthesizing the glucose molecules into longer chains known as glycogen. The muscle cells retain their glycogen for their own energy needs. The liver can store glycogen temporarily. If too much glucose is received in a short period of time, the excess is converted to fat and sent out via the bloodstream to be stored by other fat cells in the body.

As time goes by and the blood sugar level drops, the pancreas releases a hormone called glucagon into the blood stream. Glucagon stimulates the liver to break down any stored glycogen back into glucose for release into the bloodstream making it available to the body for immediate energy needs.