Hedonic Eating : How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Hedonic Eating explores the science and latest research to understand the root cause of overconsumption and the role of pleasure-based eating. With a comprehensive overview of the factors that may be driving these behaviors, this book discusses how the brain is impacted in this ongoing cycle, why so many individuals struggle to regulate their intake of highly-palatable, ultra processed foods, and the physiological processes that contribute to overconsumption.

While the prevalence of overweight and obesity has continued to increase, the understanding of the complex causes of these conditions by academics and the public has not. Much of the current literature regarding excess body weight focuses on reducing calorie intake, ignoring the complicated biological and behavioral nature of overeating. Hedonic Eating, Second Edition, explores the behavioral, biological, and social rewards of eating in our current world saturated with hyper-palatable food. Comprehensive chapters cover topics ranging from the neurochemistry of food reward to the hotly debated concept of ''food addiction'', while providing relevant and up-to-date information from the current body of scientific literature regarding food reward. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect emerging research and evidence on issues such as eating behavior, psychological factors, metabolic influences, and the environment. New research has deepened our understanding of the interrelationship between the brain, behavior, and food consumption. This book offers another perspective to the current understanding of the issues of overeating and obesity rooted in scientific research.