THE SCIENCE BEHIND FOOD AND EATING
Everyone enjoys food in some form or another. Different cuisines provide nourishment to the body and mind and some even evoke joy within us. We eat to essentially live. But sometimes, it seems like we live to eat!
Why do we prefer eating certain foods? Why are we averse to some others? How much do we eat and how much do we actually need? Why do some food affect the way we feel – happiness, comfort, aphrodisiacs, and camaraderie even perhaps? These are some of the questions that top researchers in the fields of Food Psychology have been studying for many years.
Irrespective of the above questions hanging in mid-air; one thing that can be unambiguously agreed upon is that in this day and age, humans no longer eat food only for survival. We eat to celebrate. We eat to alleviate stress. We share meals to build social bonds. However, despite there being so many positive feelings towards food and food culture; if you eat too little or eat too much, your health begins to be affected by your intake. What you eat and how often are also factors that are significant towards determining how quickly our feelings towards food can turn sour!
Here comes in the science behind what influences our eating behavior. Some of the most obvious reasons are culture, societal, economic status quo, physiological and psychological dependencies, individual preferences and work atmosphere.
Food Psychology branches out into a more practice oriented methodology that helps people manage their weight loss regimes by therapeutically redefining the way they look and think of food. Primarily divided into Behavior patterns and cognition; it focuses on a person’s eating habits and finding ways to change eating behaviors as well as identifying cognitive patterns that cause weight management issues.
Apart from reaching out to professionals to help and manage our relationship with food; there are a few key things we can practice in our daily lives that help with ensuring you have the best chance of sticking to your fitness program.
