ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Food psychology

Food psychology is all about understanding the way we think, feel and behave when it comes to food. It’s like our brain’s relationship with the food we eat!

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you feel sad or upset, you might want to eat a lot of chocolate or cookies? This is because certain foods trigger happy feelings in our brain and we use them to make us feel better. This is called emotional eating.

Food psychology can also explain why we crave certain foods. For example, if you have been eating healthy all week, but suddenly the smell of pizza makes your stomach grumble, it’s because your brain remembers how good pizza tastes and wants it!

Another part of food psychology is learning why we might feel full, but still want to keep eating. Sometimes our eyes see delicious food and we want to keep eating, even if we’re already full. This is called visual hunger.

Food psychology can also help us make healthier choices by teaching us about portion sizes and balanced meals. It can also help us tackle food struggles like picky eating habits, dieting, and binge eating.

In short, food psychology studies the way our brain reacts to food, and can help us make healthier food choices and have a better relationship with the food we eat.
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