Can certain foods hijack the brain in ways similar to drugs and alcohol, and is this effect sufficiently strong to contribute to major diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and hence constitute a public health menace? Terms like "chocoholic" and "food addict" are part of popular lore, some popular diet books discuss the concept of addiction, and there are food addiction programs with names like Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. Clinicians who work with patients often hear the language of addiction when individuals speak of irresistible cravings, withdrawal symptoms when starting a diet, and increasing intake of palatable foods over time. But what does science show, and how strong is the evidence that food and addiction is a real and important phenomenon? Food and Addiction: A Comprehensive Handbook brings scientific order to the issue of food and addiction, spanning multiple disciplines to create the foundation for what is a rapidly advancing field and to highlight needed advances in science and public policy. The book assembles leading scientists and policy makers from fields such as nutrition, addiction, psychology, epidemiology, and public health to explore and analyze the scientific evidence for the addictive properties of food. It provides complete and comprehensive coverage of all subjects pertinent to food and addiction, from basic background information on topics such as food intake, metabolism, and environmental risk factors for obesity, to diagnostic criteria for food addiction, the evolutionary and developmental bases of eating addictions, and behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, to the clinical, public health, and legal and policy implications of recognizing the validity of food addiction. Each chapter reviews the available science and notes needed scientific advances in the field.

Textbook of Obesity is designed to cover all of the essential elements concerning the etiology, prevention and treatment of obesity suitable for students in nutrition, dietetics and health science courses. Providing core knowledge for students is an essential and urgent requirement to ensure that those graduating will be properly equipped to deal with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity, currently affecting almost two-thirds of the population of the USA and with prevalence in much of the rest of the world rapidly catching up. This landmark text is organized into 5 parts comprising 27 chapters, each carefully written in a user-friendly style by experts in the area. Part I helps the reader to understand the scope and complexity of the problem of obesity. Part II focuses on obesity etiology. Part III examines the health consequences of obesity for both children and adults. Part IV discusses the challenge of assessing obesity in humans and offers insights into community factors that influence the risk of obesity. Finally, Part V dedicates 13 chapters to a discussion of a wide variety of obesity prevention and treatment interventions that are currently in use. Textbook of Obesity is an essential purchase for students and the many health professionals dealing with obesity on a day-to-day basis. A dedicated companion website features an extensive bank of questions and answers for readers to test their understanding, and all of the book’s illustrations for instructors to download: www.wiley.com/go/akabas/obesity

The role of nutrition education is to address the numerous personal and environmental influences on food choices and assist individuals in practicing healthy behaviors. Nutrition Education, Second Edition provides students with a simple, straightforward model to easily design effective nutrition education. Using a six-step process, it integrates theory, research, and practice, providing advice on designing, implementing, and evaluating theory-based nutrition education.

The purpose of this book is to integrate, evaluate, and synthesize information on eating and weight problems in athletes. It identifies: the scope of the problem, the genesis of the problem, the effects on health, psychological well-being and performance, and the appropriate methods for prevention and management of the problem.