Normal Eating

Abstract

We present a theory of normal eating, based on three fundamental elements: hunger, palatability, and norms of appropriateness. These three elements can account for food intake and choice, although not all three elements are equally important and they vary in terms of their importance in different situations. We suggest that various factors that are regarded as influential in food intake and choice (e.g., dieting, emotional arousal) may be understood in terms of our three basic elements.