Hedonic Eating

How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Dr Nicole Avena

Explores the latest, most up-to-date research on the behavioral, biological, and social rewards of food.
Features a panel of expert contributors.
Discusses the timely topic of food reward and the public health problem of obesity.

Hedonic Eating

How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Dr Nicole Avena

Description

Overeating and obesity are on the rise. Despite public health warnings, availability of diet books and programs, and the stigma associated with obesity, many people find it difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. While there are many books on the topic of caloric or need-based eating, obesity and overeating can also result from eating that is not driven by hunger. Recent research found that excess food intake is largely driven by the palatability of food and the pleasure derived from eating.

Hedonic Eating: How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior discusses the pleasurable aspects of food intake that may cause and perpetuate overconsumption. Broad in its scope, this book examines the various behavioral, biological, and social rewards of food. The 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.

Hedonic Eating

How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Dr Nicole Avena

Forward
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Why Do We Eat What We Eat?
Chapter 3. The Brain's Got a Taste for Good Food
Chapter 4. Craving Chocolate? A Review of Individual Differences, Triggers, and Assessment of Food Cravings
Chapter 5. Overeating and Binge Eating
Chapter 6. Brain-Based Drivers and Consequences of Hedonic Overeating
Chapter 7. Food 'Liking' and 'Wanting': a Neurobiological Perspective
Chapter 8. The Influence of Dieting (Hedonic Deprivation) on Food Intake, How It Can Promote Hedonic Overeating, and Mindful Eating Interventions
Chapter 9. The Modern Food Environment- Changes in Food Quantity and Quality and Their Impact on Hedonic Eating
Chapter 10. Food Addiction

Hedonic Eating

How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Dr Nicole Avena

Author Information

Dr. Nicole Avena is a research psychologist and neuroscientists who is an expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction. She received a Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Princeton University in 2006, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University. She has published over 60 scholarly journal articles on topics related to diet, nutrition and overeating. Her research achievements have been honored by awards from groups including the NY Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Contributors:

Marc Potenza, Yale University

Kevin Myers, Bucknell University

Annette Horstmann, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences & University of Leipzig

Ashley Mason & Elissa Epel, University of California, San Francisco

Margaret Leitch, University of Calgary; & Allan Geliebter, Mt Sinai St. Luke's Hospital & Touro College and University System

Kyle S. Burger, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Pranish A. Kantak, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Abigail J. Sanders, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Susana Peciña, Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan, Dearborn

Kent Berridge, University of Michigan

Alexis Conason, New York Obesity Research Center

Wendy M. Stein & Kathleen Keller, Pennsylvania State University

Emily Sullivan, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine & University of Michigan

Alastair Tulloch, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine & University of Michigan

Ashley Gearhardt, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine & University of Michigan

Hedonic Eating

How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior

Dr Nicole Avena

From Our Blog

Why do we eat?

At first pass, the answer is obvious'to obtain energy to support our everyday activities and ultimately, to promote our survival. However, many of our modern day food choices suggest another answer, one that actually stands to threaten our health and functioning.

Posted on June 16, 2015

Read the blog post

The important role of palatable food in eating disorders

When we hear the term 'eating disorder,' we often think of the woman at our gym who looks unhealthily thin or maybe a friend who meticulously monitors each calorie he or she consumes. Though anorexia nervosa (marked by low weight and a strong fear of weight gain) is a serious and harmful mental illness with one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness, the reality is that the most common eating disorders are bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, both of which involve (and in fact, require for their diagnosis) binge eating.

Posted on February 25, 2015

Read the blog post