Eating Habits And Behavior

757 Words2 Pages

One of the most important basic needs for humans is to consume food. Eating is an essential component of growth and survival. In general food consumption is perceived as just being a biological process. However, food consumption is also a psychological process. There are additional influences such as the environment that can play a role in eating behaviors. Food psychology studies these additional components of eating that demonstrate both how and why food decisions are made and the role psychology plays in an individual’s perspective towards food. The consumption of food is a complex process that involves the interaction of several major body systems. In order for food to provide its benefits the stomach, bloodstream and brain must function together. The main goal of food consumption is to reach a state of satiety or being full to satisfaction (Franzoi, 2014). The stomachs role in reaching the sensation of satiety is to send sensory neural signals to the brain upon swelling from eating. These signals reflect satiety and allow the stomach to also release gastrin, which is the hormone responsible for decreasing appetite through the release of insulin …show more content…

Several sources correlate religion or ethnicity, traditions, advertising and mood as key contributors to the psychological aspect of food consumption. (Citation) explains that for many people their food preferences and eating habits were established during their childhood. As children become exposed to their families culture they learn to value certain foods and adopt specific eating habits that adhere to their cultures beliefs. For example, people are taught at a young age that it’s important to consume three meals a day, commonly referred to as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many cultures instill this, however there can be variations in the types of food prepared as well as the time of day each meal is

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