Whatever we eat affects how we feel. Food should make us feel good. Food psychology is the study of the mental processes behind how and why we eat. Our eating habits are significantly influenced by our perception of food as well as various other social and environmental stimuli.
Food changes our mood, it strengthens our relationships when we eat together and food choices express who we are. Food also has a dark side. We keep on worrying about the unhealthy food we eat, the increasing weight and how we can control our intake. There are a lot of factors- cultural, family, individual, psychological which influence our eating behaviors. A lot of people eat food as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, anxiety or boredom.
Many a times it happens that you’re just sitting and doing some work and there is a biscuit tin next to you. You take out the biscuit and start eating it. This is called mindless eating. This happens when your mind is somewhere else for a reason other than hunger.
It is said that certain types of food can make you happy. Avocado, berries, chicken, dark chocolate, green tea, spinach make a person happy. A lot of people binge eat when they are in a bad mood. They don’t know what they’re eating and they keep on eating till they can’t have more. It causes a lot of problems.
Even society influences how much we eat. We eat more when people around us eat more. It is said that eating healthy can uplift your spirits and improve your mood. People who eat fruits and vegetables live a more satisfied and happy life.
Nutritional psychiatry is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide these essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative treatment for mental health disorders. Nutritional psychologists are primarily concerned with how one’s diet impacts mood and behavior. Nutritional psychologists might focus on issues related to weight, body image, and how the foods we eat contribute to issues in those areas.
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