The Psychology of

Eating
PSY 314
01
What is the psychology of eating?
Eating is not just about shoving food • When do we eat?
into your mouth to fill your
• Why do eat what we eat?
stomach.
• Be aware of and understand the • How do we eat?
factors that influence eating and
its associated behaviours.
Function of food
Nutrition Social and Psychological
• Fuel for body Functions

• Energy from food Communication

• Physical activity, thinking, repair Social connection
damage, growth, maintenance
Tradition, history, culture,
religion
Weapon?
Nutrition
Is there anyone here who does not need to
eat?
• Breatharianism (Inedia; Latin = • Liquid meal replacement?
fasting) • Why would you want it?
• The belief that people can live • At war
without consuming food and be • In space
sustained by prana or qi.
• Just to look cool
• Prana (Hindu philosophy) =
cosmic energies, permeating the • Your girlfriend sells that
universe on all levels.
• Qi (Chinese culture) = life force,
flow of energy, vital energy in the
universe
Nutrients
= components in food that body uses to survive
Macronutrients –energy Micronutrients –no energy
Carbohydrates Vitamins
Lipids (fats) Minerals
Protein Trace elements
Food Pyramid
USDA, 1992
Misleading
• All kinds of carbs are good?
• All fats and oils are bad?
• No distinction between
healthy and unhealthy proteins
• Overemphasis on dairy foods
• What is a “serving?”
MyPyramid

USDA, 2005
Colours to represent food
groups
• Ppl had to go to the website for
details
• Quantities in cups and ounces
instead of servings
• Physical activity
MyPlate
USDA, 2011
• Variety
• Portion size
Still doesn’t distinguish healthy
grains and proteins from
unhealthy ones
Fats?
Water?
• 60% of body is water
The Healthy
Eating Pyramid
• Harvard, 2008
• Harvard, 2011
 Complex Carbs /starchy foods/
Carbohydrates polysaccharides
Brown rice, wholegrain bread
Simple Carbs Dietary fibre –fruits and veggies
Monosaccharides • Doesn’t give body energy –body unable to
break down
• Glucose
• Soluble fibre
• Fructose
• Dissolves in water
• Galactose
• Gut health –supports health of intestinal
walls
Disaccharides
• Regulates cholesterol
• Sucrose = glucose + fructose
• Insoluble fibre
• Table sugar
• Absorbs water
• Lactose = glucose + galactose
• Stool softener –prevents constipation
• Milk sugar
• Accelerates passage of food through
• Lactose intolerance digestive system
What carbs to eat?
Body uses carbohydrates as main source of
energy
Unhealthy sources:
• Sodas, sweets, refined sugar, refined flour, white
rice

Healthy sources:
• Beans, vegetables, fruit, whole grains (e.g.
oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice)
Why complex
carbs? As close to its natural form
Chemical structure and fibre
require body to work harder to
digest
Energy released over a longer
period of time
• Keeps you full longer
• Feel full with fewer calories
Protein
Building blocks of body Amino acid -20 types
• Muscle • 9 essential amino acids –we need to get
• Immune system them from the food we eat
• Transporters • Protein rich foods
• Fluid distribution –fluids stay where • Animal sources: eggs, chicken, red meat,
fish, milk, cheese, yoghurt
they should be
• Complete –contains all 9 essentials
• Vegetable sources: tofu, nuts, beans,
legumes
• Incomplete –not sufficient amounts
if eaten by themselves
• Need to combine, increase variety –
e.g. Dhal
Lipid/ Fat
Body fat = triglycerides + cholesterol
Important for
• Brain development
• Nervous system development
• Cushion internal organs
• Subcutaneous fats
• Storage form of energy
• Insulation
• Promotes satiety
• Regulates blood sugar levels –slows rate
at which sugar is released into the blood
• Breaking down of vitamins A, D, E, and K
Structure of Fats
Triglyceride
• Glycerol chain
• 3 fatty acid chains
• Unused calories

No worries, the
exam is open book
So many types of fat!!!
Saturated fats
• Maximum number of H attached to the C
in the hydrocarbon tail
• Pack closely together –solid at room
temperature

Unsaturated fats
• Not all C has maximum number of H
attached
• Not packed as closely together – liquid at
room temperature
• Monounsaturated = only 1 C is not bonded
to max number of H
• Polyunsaturated = more than 1 C not
bonded to max number of H
 • Many ways for the not fully
Unsaturated Fats occupied C to bond

• Cis fats
• Naturally occurring –e.g. nuts,
vegetables, fruits
• Structure of atoms on same side
of double bond resulting in a
kink.
• Trans fats
• Structure of atoms on opposite
side of double bond, stacks well.
• Reused oil –cis changed to trans
• Processed food –margarine,
peanut butter

Video: https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=Ir5h5BmBn8M
Omega-3 and Omega-
6
• Ratio of omega-6 to
omega-3
• Both are essential fatty
acids
• Average diet contains
too much omega-6
• Needs to be balanced
by omega-3
Cholesterol
• Not the bad guy!
• Body produces its own cholesterol (liver)
• Decrease production if intake is sufficient vv
• Cell membrane
• Precursor to many hormones
• Vitamin D production
• Protective against infection and allergies?
• LDL and HDL
• Fat packaged in lipoproteins
• LDL delivers cholesterol to cells
• HDL returns excess cholesterol to the liver
Measuring Eating Behaviour
Calorie
• Unit of energy • The number of calories foods contain
• 1 cal tells us how much potential energy
= 4.18 joules they posses.
1 g of carbohydrates contains 4 cal
= the amount of energy required to 1 g of protein contains 4 cal
raise 1 g of water by 1 °C 1 g of fat contains 9 cal
• 1 Cal or 1 kcal • Calorimeter
= the amount of energy required to
raise 1 kg of water by 1 °C

• Anything that contains energy has calories

• We eat to obtain calories as energy for our
bodies
 How many calories do we need each day?
• Depends on • Depends on your goal
• Overall general health • Lose weight –caloric deficit
• Level of physical activity, lifestyle • Gain weight –caloric surplus
• Gender • Maintain weight –BMR
• Weight • Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
• Height • The amount of calories needed at rest in 24 hours
• Age • Depends on gender, height, weight, age
• Mifflin St. Jeor Equation
For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age
(years) + 5
For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age
(years) – 161
• Frankenfield et al., 2005
Recommended Calorie Intake
• USA
• M: 2700 cal; F: 2200 cal
• UK, NHS
• M: 2500 cal; F: 2000 cal
• UN
• min cal requirement per day: 1800 cal
• Msia
• M: 2500 cal; F: 1500 cal
Empty Calories = very little nutritional value
• Sugar
• Isotonic drinks, artificial sweeteners (sucrose, high-
fructose corn syrup)
• Even excess fruit juice is not good –should not be
consumed as thirst quencher
• Fat
• Processed food has lots of added fats
• Ice-cream, cookies, shortening, sausages
Processed Food avoid at all cost!
• American diets –about 70% processed food
• Convenience –so we outsource
• Manufacturers don’t care about our health or our family’s health
• $$
• Strip food of most of its nutrients –why? So that it will last longer –even mould won’t want that
food, but we intelligent humans would
• They then add chemical to make the food taste better and last longer
• Corn syrup, salt, flavouring, stabilisers
• To enhance texture and appearance –fats and colouring
• Add synthetic nutrients so that they can tell us that it’s healthy for us
• By using the same base material (e.g. corn) they make it into all kinds of things.
• Gives consumers more choice
• Cos every manufacturer want our money, marketing strategies are very sophisticated –food
marketing
 So how to eat healthy?
• MODERATION
• Not too much, but do not eliminate “bad” foods altogether.
• We need sugar, salt, fats, …
• The practice of moderation
• E.g. Only eat cookies and baked goods which are homemade
• E.g. Only eat desserts on days which begin with “s”
• The practice of moderation should be practiced in moderation!

What I do: Intermittent Fasting

Moderation
Socialised to eat till full –Instead, eat • Japanese
• Eat till you’re 80% full
till no longer hungry
• French • Chinese
• Eat till you’re 75% full
• At the end of the meal, ask “are you still
hungry?”; not “are you full?” • Quran
• Look for satisfying food experience, not • Eat till you’re 2/3 full
large amounts of food • Ditto
• Smaller portions • Depends on who pays
• Better quality food vs quantity of food
• Eat slowly
• Eat socially