Therefore, findings from basic research on eating behavior are important to understand disordered eating behavior, hedonic concepts, or physiological vs On the other hand, results from clinical studies may advance our knowledge concerning non-clinical issues, which are relevant for most humans, At the same time, eating healthily also means to be able to enjoy the rewarding aspects of food without falling prey to a loss of control over eating

Many individuals are able to do this successfully, yet some exhibit over-regulation of eating behavior resulting in underweight and malnutrition, Nevertheless, the role of experience, or learning e.g, classic conditioning, observational learning, is critical in the development of young children's eating behavior, which may well carry over into adulthood Haver mans, in press, Hence, patients with bulimia nervosa BN are mostly normal-weight Thompson, 2003

Unlike anorexia and obesity, BED, and BEN have been first described in the twentieth century but their research history yet encompasses several decades Stunkard, 1959; Russell, 1979, Corsica and Pelchat, 2010; Vandereycken, 2011, e.g., night eating Stunkard 1955, orthorexia Bratman and Knight, 2001, or food addiction Randolph, 1956 Both eating disorders and obesity involve medical complications and are marked by psychological distress and co-morbid mental disorders Thompson, 2003, of which mood and anxiety disorders are the most prevalent Vogel and Gibson, 2010

The aim of Frontiers in Eating Behavior is to build knowledge for the understanding of eating behavior by bringing together academics with different expertise, e.g, researchers investigating basic processes related to eating behavior, clinical researchers examining the psychological, physiological, and nutritional aspects of eating disorders and practitioners, such as clinical psychologists, physicians, and other health care professionals

In western or Westernized societies in particular, food is abundant, cheap, and available in a great variety. Accordingly, it has been recognized that some eating behaviors can be mapped onto a continuum ranging from normal to disordered eating,  e.g, Lowe 1996

Thus, it would appear to be inappropriate to focus on eating disorders and obesity as separate entities, As a consequence, constant monitoring and self-regulation of eating is necessary in order to eat healthily, to provide the body both qualitatively and quantitatively with the right nutrients

That is, eating can be triggered even in the absence of hunger or extended beyond satiation Lowe and Butyl, 2007, We understand our mission for Frontiers in Eating Behavior to create a view on eating and its disorders on a continuum from healthy eating practices to disordered eating behaviors

Furthermore, there is an array of eating behaviors that do not reflect disordered eating per se, but nonetheless seem to be associated with occasional overeating and moderate overweight, restrained or emotional eating Herman and Mack, 1975; Mach and Simone, 2011

For example, research on triggers of and treatment approaches for reducing binge-eating may also be useful to increase dieting success or inducing healthier food choices in overweight individuals without eating disorders

Thus, we encourage researchers to break away from isolated, categorical views on normal vs Nevertheless, this homeostatic regulation of eating is steadily challenged and overridden by the omnipresence of food and food-related cues

psychological mechanisms Cases of anorexia nervosa have been known for a long time Temporal, 1996, We hope that Frontiers in Eating Behavior will increase the awareness of a more comprehensive view on eating behavior and advance our understanding of a behavior that is essential for our survival as individuals and as a species

In contrast to our ancestors, however, whose primary task was to seek out any food that would provide energy and nutrients, those choices have become more difficult nowadays, These findings may include research on how food and food-cues are processed in the brain, mechanisms underlying successful and unsuccessful self-regulation of eating, or social and environmental determinants of and individual differences in food choice and consumption

Some individuals, however, show regular binge-eating which is defined as consuming large amounts of food over a discrete period of time with a sense of lack of control over eating, and which is associated with marked distress American Psychiatric Association, 2013 Moreover, eating is a fundamentally rewarding behavior, and is thus intrinsically linked to mood and emotions Vogel and Gibson, 2010

Because of this, we felt that the creation of a new specialty section about determinants and consequences of eating behavior and mechanisms of its modulation is warranted, When enough food has been consumed, these processes signal that consumption should be terminated, i.e, an individual feels satiated or sated Benelux, 2009

Thus, a better understanding of the developmental aspects of eating behavior is essential to understand eating behavior in adulthood, As with anorexia, obesity is an age-old health condition Ha slam 2011, but its prevalence has dramatically increased in the second half of the twentieth century Strobe, 2008

In addition, there is increasing evidence that eating behaviors, EX, food preferences, are shaped by gene-environment interactions in early childhood, People engage in eating behavior as a matter of survival, normally every day, That is, one has to make choices about what to eat, when, and how much

Food choices and consumption are also strongly influenced by environmental factors, e.g., advertising, packaging, portion sizes, lighting, and many more Strobes and De Castro, 2004; Cohen and Baby, 2012, Therefore, it is of no surprise that there are numerous scientific journals, which are devoted to publishing research on the etiology and treatment of those disorders

In addition to eating disorders and obesity, there are a vast number of eating behaviors that deserve scientific scrutiny and discussion, For instance, eating may be initiated or prolonged by the presence of others, i.e, is influenced by social factors Herman and Polivy, 2004

Numerous factors are known that determine or guide eating behavior in an automatic and implicit fashion Cohen and Farley, 2008 Furthermore, there are some individuals who engage in regular binge-eating but use compensatory behaviors like vomiting to prevent weight gain

Disordered eating, homeostatic  As yet, this new specialty section is the first and only periodical in open access publishing with a breadth of scope on eating behavior embracing various methodologies and study populations

When humans are energy deficient, a complex interplay of physiological processes signals the brain that food should be consumed, i.e., an individual feels hungry, While prevalence rates in western countries appear to stabilize, rates of severe obesity continue to grow Bessesmer, 2008; Yanovski and Yanovski, 2011 and newly industrialized countries seem to catch up Finucane 2011

In most cases, obesity is the result of poor dietary habits – rather than compulsive eating binges – which contribute to a modest average daily excess of energy intake over energy expenditure Rogers, 2011

Prevalence of binge-eating disorder BED is increased in obese individuals, but not all patients with BED are necessarily obese, On the other side of the extreme, permanent failures of self-regulation may result in overweight and obesity

For instance, there are some problematic eating behaviors that are not included in the current diagnostic manuals, but are continuously debated in terms of their clinical relevance 

The Psychology of Eating

By making better food choices, you may be able to control compulsive eating behaviors and weight gain, You can also experience feelings of calmness, high energy levels or alertness from the foods you eat

What is the psychology of eating?

What we eat affects how we feel, Food should make us feel good, It tastes great and nourishes our bodies, If you eat too little or eat too much, however, your health and quality of life could be affected, This can result in negative feelings toward food

By learning how to make healthier and more mindful choices, you may be able to control compulsive eating, binging and weight gain, By taking charge of your appetite, you may also gain a feeling of calm, high energy levels and alertness from the foods you eat

Overall, there are many benefits to changing deep-seated, unhealthy eating habits, such as:

• An increase in energy level and alertness
• A more positive relationship with food
• Improved health
• Easier movement
• Improved body image

We often have the best intentions to eat healthier, this is often a challenging task

What factors influence our eating behaviors?

Experts believe many factors can influence our feelings about food and our eating behaviors

These factors include: 

• Cultural
• Evolutionary
• Social
• Family
• Individual
• Economic status
• Psychological

While this may help in the short term, eating to soothe and ease your feelings often leads to regret and guilt, and can even increase the negative feelings, Many people use food as a coping mechanism to deal with such feelings as stress, boredom or anxiety, or even to prolong feelings of joy

Further, your self-image may suffer as you gain weight, or you may experience other undesired effects on your health, such as elevated blood sugars, cholesterol levels or blood pressure. You aren't actually coping with the problem causing the stress 

It is the study of how and why people do what they do. What role does psychology play in weight management?

Psychology is the science of behavior, For people trying to manage their weight, psychology addresses:

Behavior: Treatment involves identifying the person’s eating patterns and finding ways to change eating behaviors

Cognition thinking: Therapy focuses on identifying self-defeating thinking patterns that contribute to weight management problems

Some areas that are addressed through cognitive behavioral treatment include:

Determining the person's "readiness for change": This involves an awareness of what needs to be done to achieve your goals and then making a commitment to do it

Learning how to self-monitor: Self-monitoring helps you become more aware of what triggers you to eat at the moment, and more mindful of your food choices and portions

What treatments are used for weight management?

Cognitive behavioral treatment is the approach most often used because it deals with both thinking patterns and behavior, It also helps you stay focused on achieving long-term progress

Breaking linkages: The focus here is on stimulus control, such as not eating in particular settings, and not keeping unhealthy food choices in your home, Cognitive behavioral treatment also teaches distraction replacing eating with healthier alternatives  as a skill for coping with stress. Positive reinforcement, rehearsal/problem-solving, finding social support and changing eating habits are specific techniques used to break linkages 

What does cognitive behavioral treatment involve?

Cognitive therapy addresses how you think about food, It helps you recognize self-defeating patterns of thinking that can undermine your success at eating healthier and managing your weight/weight loss, It also helps you learn and practice using positive coping self-statements

Examples of self-defeating thoughts include:

• This is too hard, I can't do it
• If I don't make it to my target weight, I've failed
• Now that I've lost weight, I can go back to eating any way I want

Examples of positive coping self-statements include:

• I realize that I am overeating, I need to think about how I can stop this pattern of behavior
• I need to understand what triggered my overeating, so I can create a plan to cope with it if I encounter the trigger again
• Am I really hungry or is this just a craving? I will wait to see if this feeling passes

What strategies will help me manage my weight?

To lose weight, it’s helpful to change your thinking. It's not going to happen if you rely on short-term diet after diet to lose weight

To be successful, be aware of the role that eating plays in your life, and learn how to use positive thinking and behavioral coping strategies to manage your eating and your weight, Weight management is about making a lifestyle change 

To help get you started, here are a few tips:

Tips for healthy eating: 

• Don't skip meals 
• Do plan meals and snacks ahead of time 
• Do keep track of your eating habits. See "food diary" below 
• Do limit night eating 
• Do drink plenty of water 
• Do delay/distract yourself when experiencing cravings 
• Do exercise instead of eating when you are bored 
• Do be attentive when you eat,  Don’t eat while  watching TV, working, driving or standing 
• Do only eat in certain settings kitchen table 
• Do watch your portion sizes 
• Do allow yourself to eat a range of foods without  forbidding yourself a particular food 
• Do give yourself encouragement 
• Do look for a support person to help you stay motivated and accountable 
• Do be gentle with yourself,  Try not to beat yourself up when you lapse  
• Do think of eating healthfully as a lifestyle change 
• Do use the scale mindfully, Weigh yourself no more than once a week 
• Do make healthy food choices 

The food diary

A food diary is a tool to record in detail:

• What food you eat 
• When you eat 
• How you feel when you're eating 
• What you are doing if anything while you are eating 

The diary can help you get a better understanding of what you eat and why you eat it. It also can help your doctor, therapist, or dietitian work with you to make the necessary changes for successful weight management 

Psychological. What factors influence our eating behaviors?
Experts believe many factors can influence our feelings about food and our eating behaviors