The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior

284 An Integrated Model of Diet

• Food is central to survival. A healthy diet consisting of the correct
  balance between the five food groups contributes towards good health,
  while malnutrition or an imbalance can cause illness.


• Dietary change is central to the treatment of illnesses such as coronary
  heart disease and diabetes.


• A preference for sweet foods and a dislike of bitter foods has been shown
  in newborn babies, suggesting that it is innate.


• The physiological consequences of eating, such as pleasure or illness,
  can influence subsequent food preferences.


• The chemical senses such as salt, bitter, and sweet impact upon food
  choice.


• Neurochemicals such as the catecholamines and serotonin influence
  hunger and satiety.


• Hunger and satiety are also affected by drugs.


• Foods such as carbohydrates and chocolate have an impact upon mood
  and cognitions.


• Stress can elicit eating behavior, perhaps via changes in stress-induced
  chemicals.


• Dieting can cause overeating, which results in changes in body weight
  and weight variability.


• Weight variability has been linked with coronary heart disease.


• Obesity is associated with illnesses such as coronary heart disease,
  diabetes, and cancer.


• There is evidence for a genetic basis for obesity. This might express itself
  through metabolic rate, fat cells, or appetite regulation.


• Drugs can be used to treat obesity by either reducing fat absorption or
  changing hunger.


• Research has highlighted a role for genetics in a predisposition towards
  anorexia.

Communication

Communication plays a central role in many aspects of eating.

• Food can be read as a statement about the self, as a form of social interac-
  tion, or as a symbol of culture.


• Thinness can be read as a statement of success, control, and psycho-
  logical stability.


• Refusing to eat is a strong statement of power.