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The Psychology of Eating and Drinking

• By Alexandra Woods Logue

• Price: $29.95
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Pages: 376
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 31st August 2004
• ISBN: 978-0-415-95009-1

About the Book

Our fascination with eating and drinking behaviors and their causes has resulted in a huge industry of food-related pop science. Every bookstore, every magazine stand, every grocery store checkout counter is filled with publications about how to get your child to eat vegetables, how to tell if someone has an eating disorder or, most commonly, how to lose weight. But the degree to which any of these is based on scientific research is very limited. In contrast to the literature for the general reader, the scientific research on eating and drinking behaviors is usually too technical for the general reader.

The Psychology of Eating and Drinking is a unique volume; a textbook that can be comprehended by the general educated reader. Just as in her past editions of this book, Alexandra Logue grounds her investigation into the complex interactions between our physiology, our surroundings, and our eating and drinking habits in laboratory research and up-to-date scientific information. The chapters move from the general -- hunger and thirst, taste and smell, and eating behaviors -- to the more specialized -- overeating and overdrinking, anorexia and bulimia, and alcohol use. In each case, Logue provides a brief synopsis of the most historically influential scientific research and then relates this history to the most up to date advances. This method provides the reader with a general introduction to the physiology of sensations related to eating and drinking and how these sensations are influenced by the individual's social surroundings. The Psychology of Eating and Drinking provides the general reader and student with a biological and psychological framework to understand his or her eating behaviors.

Table of Contents

Dedication. Preface. Acknowledgements. Instructions: The Essential Nutrients of the Psychology of Eating and Drinking. Down the Hatch: Hunger and Satiety. "You Never Miss the Water Until the Well Runs Dry": Thirst. The Nose Knows (and So Does the Tongue). Genes Rule - Or Do They? One Person's Meat is Another Person's Poison: The Effects of Experience of Food Preferences. This or That: Choosing What We Eat and Drink. You Are What You Eat and Drink. "Hunger Talks a Most Persuasive Language": Anorexia and Bulimia. The Battle With the Bulge: Overeating and Obesity. Drinking Your Life Away: Alcohol Use and Abuse. How Sweet It Is: Type 2 Diabetes. Strictly About Females. When and Why Smoking Affects Your Weight. We Do Not Live by Bread Alone: Cuisine, Beer, and Wine. Refererences.