Motivation and the Brain - Eating Healthy Essay - 993 Words

Running head: HEALTHY EATING Healthy Eating University of Phoenix PSY 355 Stephanie Reyes March 29, 2011 Healthy Eating Eating right is essential for positive motivation and clear thinking. The brain, specifically the hypothalamus, along with the cerebral hemisphere works closely with physiological stimulation. This includes all five of our senses, specifically speaking, taste. Explaining the brain function associated with eating, I will discuss the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, which will include heredity and involving the environment. In addition I will discuss the motivation need to succeed in eating healthy. The main function of the hypothalamus is homeostasis, or maintaining the bodys state†¦show more content†¦However, it is how we learn to eat, hereditarily speaking that gives us the tools to start out eating healthy from a young age or not. Lifelong food preference tends to start to develop while a baby is still in the mother’s womb. The strongest pattern for future food preferences is formed during the age of 9 to 19 months of age (Vera, 200 9). At this time, everything connected with food intake leaves a strong imprint on the child’s brain. Also, the baby is tasting everything with his or her mouth; toys, shoes, body parts, etc. Concurrently, the child is memorizing the experiences of his mother and fathers eating habits; what they are eating, what they are feeding the baby, their emotional reaction to the baby’s consumption of these foods all while the unsuspecting parents believe that the child does not comprehend much of what is going on. The reality is the child is forming food habits for a lifetime. Whatever the first tastes, textures, smells an sights of food are, that child will crave them for the rest of his or her life, especially in moments of distress. Because of this, it would appear that comfort food is not too far from the truth. This was often a time in a child’s life when their mom or dad focused much love and caring on them and purely through association finds its way into our adult lives when we feel emotionally distressed or needing comfort. Human behaviorShow MoreRelatedMotivation and the Brain1249 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Motivation and the Brain Paper Table of Contents Introduction: 3 Analyze the brain structures: 3 Brain functions: 4 Motivation to engage in eating healthy behavior: 5 Conclusion: 6 References: 8 Introduction: Motivation is a phenomenon in which the brain and physical function are involved through emotional and reflexes. It is a critical factor in learning, emotions, and success of an individual. It is also influenced by emotional state of a person as the evaluations and actions ofRead MoreHunger : The Hunger Of Hunger1327 Words   |  6 Pageseveryone enjoys food, it s what brings people together. Lets face it, humans are always looking for a reason to eat. 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