Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology

An enzyme produced by certain gut microbes that deconjugates glucuronidated compounds, including estrogen, allowing them to be reabsorbed into circulation. gmGUS activity plays a key role in regulating estrogen levels…

A relationship that goes both ways, with each variable of interest affecting the other.

A bidirectional relationship is a two-way connection in which each side influences the other. In nutritional psychology, it describes how what we eat shapes how we think and feel, while how we think and feel shapes what we eat.

Binge eating involves consuming an unusually large amount of food within a discrete period while experiencing a sense of loss of control. It may occur with distress, guilt, or shame and can appear in both clinical and non-clinical populations.

Binge eating disorder is a psychiatric eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food with a sense of lost control, without regular compensatory behaviors. It is associated with psychological distress and medical and psychiatric comorbidities.

A biofeedback technique is a mind-body method that displays real-time physiological signals — like heart rate variability or muscle tension — so a person can learn to self-regulate them; in nutritional psychology, it is used to support stress, emotion, and interoceptive regulation of eating.

Biological classification groups living organisms based on their shared characteristics, reproduction, mobility, appearance, and functionality. Simply put, it is like a system of filling cards in the library. Each card…

The Biopsychosocial Model is an interdisciplinary framework that explains health and behavior through the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

A biopsychosocial–spiritual perspective is used within social work as defined by the NASW and recognizes the importance of whole-person care, taking into account a client’s physical or medical condition; emotional…

Bipolar disorder involves recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, and often depression that affect mood, energy, activity, and functioning. Nutritional psychology examines how diet, nutrients, inflammation, metabolic health, and eating behaviors may relate to bipolar disorder as complementary areas of study.