The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior

Treating Eating Disorders 275

Towards an integrated model of diet

Choosing healthy food is a complicated process due to the social
meanings of size and food. This can result in eating-related prob-
lems. Weight concern is one such problem, which takes the form
of body dissatisfaction and dieting, and these contribute to both
lowered self-esteem and overeating. They illustrate problems of a less
severe nature which affect some men and the majority of women
at some point in their life. Obesity is more problematic and is asso-
ciated with a range of psychological and physical consequences, and
although it is much less common than weight concern its incidence
is on the increase. Much evidence suggests that obesity is not solely
a disorder of eating. Bulimia and anorexia represent patterns of
disordered eating which are of greater clinical significance and have
more serious implications for morbidity and mortality. They remain,
however, problems for the minority. This book has described the
spectrum of eating behavior from healthy to disordered eating and
has explored a range of factors which influence how and why an
individual eats what they eat. Many common themes have run
through the different theories and the different chapters. An integra-
tion of these different themes is the focus for the final chapter.