Psychological Studies of the Causes of Eating Disorders - Essay Example

? How psychological research can help us to understand unhealthy eating behavior Introduction Eating habits among manypeople in the world has been a major concern for research. This is because of the poor feeding habits among people that cause them to get disorders and diseases. It is due to this great concern that this research came up to analyze these poor feeding habits and how to curb them. This is with the aim of reducing some of the diseases that arise to these poor feeding habits among people. It also analyzes how psychological research can help people understand unhealthy feeding habits to find ways of solving the problem. The results of this research form the basis of finding possible solutions to this problem. Some of the results from this research show that unhealthy feeding behavior is common among the young people. Questioners were issued among many people especially the youth on how they feed and their diets. Many of the young people in this bracket do not have regular meals, drink less glasses of water in a day and eat fried and junk food more often. All these are signs of poor feeding habits that cause diseases in the long run.Most young people between 18 and 23 years are smokers and take alcohol in great quantities. They also do not engage themselves in exercises. Psychological factors associated with eating habits There are a number of psychological factors that cause or lead to unhealthy feeding habits among people.Psychological research has greatly helped in understanding how these factors contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors. This is because it seeks to analyze these behaviors and their relationship with unhealthy eating habits in most people. Social factors are also significant determining factors of feeding behaviors in people. It is through understanding these factors that people are able to get solutions to them; hence, improve their eating habits. Age among people is one of such factors. This is the case especially among the youth where they feed in order to feel happy. The research, it shows that most of the people in this habit are students. Some people also seat not because they want to feed in a healthy manner but because they feel lonely. This is unhealthy because they do not watch on what they feed. Others feed because they are upset or have a feeling of nervousness. All these reasons show that some people feed as a way of responding to certain feelings in their bodies as at that time. This means that they might end up feeding more or eating unhealthy foods. There is no association or relationship between feeding behaviors and socio-demographic factors in most people.Working status of a mother was another psychological factor affecting feeding habits in people. Drinking alcohol in most people also contributes to unhealthy eating behaviors. This is because those who take alcohol prefer taking alcohol to eating or feeding regularly. This happens because they find taking alcohol more enjoyable and entertaining than following a strict healthy diet timetable. Lack of exercise is another factor that contributes to unhealthy habits. This is because exercise helps burn unnecessary calories in the body; hence, the person becomes unhealthy. Smokers are another group of people who experience unhealthy feeding habits because smoking has some effect in the body that causes this habit. This includes such effects like luck of appetite in the smoker; hence, they are not able to feed well. Others are also not able to feed health foods because of the effect of smoking in the body. Another habit is feeding for the feeling that one person has to feed until he feels that the stomach hurts. This means that such people feed too much food, some of which might be too much for the body as at that time. They might also feed on unhealthy type of foods that the body does not need. Irregular feeding is another factor that contributes to unhealthy behaviors in people. An example of such a situation is when somebody skips meals for one reason or another. For instance, this is a common habit among the female gender because they view this as a way of keeping fit and losing weight. It is important to note that this is a very damaging way to lose weight because each meal is important to the body; therefore, skipping of meals is unhealthy. Consuming snacks and other junk foods is also unhealthy feeding habit. This habit is also common among teenagers and the youth. It is important for people to feed on vegetables and fruits so that they help in the digestion of food in the body. Ways to modify this unhealthy eating behavior This research paper gives several ways of modifying unhealthy feeding habits among people so that they feed in a healthy manner. It is essential for people to watch on how they eat for them to be able to find out if they have eating disorders. In case one suffers from eating disorders, then best way to treat it is by vising a psychologist. They play a very important role in treating eating disorders. A psychologist identifies important issues with the patient that needs his attention. An important point in achieving this is for someone to identify the unhealthy habit that he wants to change for him to work on it. A psychologist has the responsibility of instilling positive thoughts as a way of getting rid of the destruction in the patient’s mind regarding feeding habits.A psychologist might offer a solution to the patient like keeping a food diary for the patient to keenly follow. He also works with the patient to identify psychological issues that cause the eating disorder so that the patient avoids the factors.Patients with bulimia benefit a lot with this treatment. Another very important way to modify this unhealthy behavior is by drink more water. Fruits and vegetables are a source of water in the body; however, drinking water directly is very vital. Nutritionists recommend that a person takes an average of 8 to 10 glasses of water in a day. People can use the hydration calculator to calculate the amount of water they take per day. It is also recommended that people should eat breakfast. Experts discourage skipping meals and especially breakfast because it is very vital in the body. Research shows that eating breakfast contributes much in reducing hunger by about 25%. The breakfast should constitute of a healthy combination and a person should avoid foods with lots of sugar like pastries and donuts. Breakfast should contain high fiber foods like cereals and food rich in protein like eggs. One can also include fruits or vegetables while eating breakfast. Another method of modifying unhealthy eating habits is through involving oneself in quick workouts like doing an exercise. The workout must not take long, therefore, do it for about ten minutes. For instance, person can target to walk 40 minutes a day. This can be done in bits of ten minutes so that you walk ten minutes in the morning, another ten minutes after lunch and so on. Some of these exercises can include walking every day, jumping a rope. Climbing stairs for just a short period of time is another way of burning unnecessary calories in the body. This ensures that the body is free of such unnecessary calories; hence, encouraging healthy eating habits. Eating small food portions is important in the process of achieving healthy feeding habits. It is unlike the common behavior among most people where they tend to take large portions of food at once. This makes digestion of food difficult for the body causing indigestion. It also gives the body too much than it can take in. Taking in excess food means that the body is taking in more calories than the recommended. This unhealthy habit causes obesity or other health complicated disorders. Nutritionists give a list of the recommended quantities of each type of food in a meal. For instance, they encourage that one takes about *1 ounce of bread. Experts provide that people eat all day to curb the problem of unhealthy feeding habits. Research shows that skipping a meal is unhealthy because one tends to over eat the next meal. This is so that he compensates for the meal he did not eat because he is hungry. Remember eating too much food in one meal is very unhealthy. It is essential that there is a spacing of about 3 to 4 hours between meals. This gives enough time for the body to digest food consumed before taking in another meal.Fruits and vegetables can be taken with a meal so that they act as a source of water. Keeping the kitchen clean is another method to achieve healthy feeding habits. This is because it creates a clean environment for one to use; hence, inviting one to use the kitchen. It also avoids diseases related to dirt like diarrhea. People should also learn about the type of food they consume so that they understand their importance. It also helps one to avoid feeding food that is unhealthy to the body. Knowing where the food you consume comes from is also important so that you establish if it is healthy or not. The last way to achieve this is to enjoy food that one consumes. This creates a positive attitude in a person. It will ensure that a person even gets craving and appetite for healthy food. Conclusion Social and psychological factors determinate the feeding habits and behaviors among most people in the world today. It is for this reason that people should watch on the above factors so that they are able to feed healthy. By doing this, they reduce the risk of certain diseases associated with unhealthy feeding behaviors. People should also change their lifestyles to avoid the lifestyle related diseases. Proper commitment is needed in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle in people because they have to follow the guidelines given without failure. Some people consider having a partner with whom they work with to achieve this, while others prefer having a plan to work with. Work cited Snooks, M. (2009): Health psychology: biological, psychological and sociocultural perspectives: Jones & Bartlett Learning: pg. 205-390. Read More