Family members play a significant genetic, social, and psychological role in the way we eat. You share the same DNA and your bodies bear some similarity in shape and size to those of family members because there is a significant genetic component to body shape, size, and weight - family members are probably around the same height, for example.
They may also carry body fat in similar locations on their bodies; for example, the majority of extra weight might be carried on stomach or thighs. Exercise and eating habits infl uence how genetics are expressed and may make you thinner or heavier than other family members. DNA just plays a part in creating the range of what a person's body can possibly do.
In addition to the role of genetics, etiquette at the dinner table teaches you a lot about how you think and feel about food, showing you how to prepare meals and telling you what to eat or not eat. This may not have been in the form of explicit instructions, but information you absorbed from taking mental notes on what kind of groceries are in the fridge or absent from the cupboards. Maybe you grew up in a family of "health nuts" where everything you ate was organic.
Or, perhaps you had a sister who was always on a fad diet who taught you to feel guilty after eating a sweet. Or, maybe you had a dad who brought home donuts every Sunday morning. All these elements can instruct and infl uence you in regard to routines and rituals around food. Basically, it's likely that your food tastes and habits refl ect those of your primary caregivers.
Families impact people in another way. Mental health issues may make you more vulnerable to developing eating issues. Symptoms of depression, for example, include loss of appetite, but can also involve overfeeding. It's also important to consider family dynamics and how they may contribute to eating issues.
No, family members are not to "blame" for eating problems but they do have an important psychological infl uence. For example, imagine a child from a very controlling family. The girl's family tells her who to date and what career to choose. The child may gravitate toward an eating issue because it is the only aspect of her life that her family cannot control.
For some people, college can be a pretty isolating, lonely event. Parents, childhood friends, and one's familiar, comfort zone are left behind. Suddenly, your social world must be reorganized. A sophomore at an Ivy League college got stuck in the "dismal dorm" on the outskirts of the campus. Her friends were on the main campus. They were not willing to trek out to her dorm in no-man's-land. She spent a very lonely year in a dorm without any close friends.
Isolation is a real problem for some college students and it can be a setup for people who have an eating concern. Food is sometimes used as a reliable source of comfort. It can keep a person feeling safe and good even when people are a disappointment. One of my clients described food as her "best friend" and "worst enemy." Food was always there to help her out. Eating made her feel better. When people have real trouble moderating their eating, they tend to have a lot of difficulty being social and maintaining relationships because eating is such a social event. A person struggling with extreme mindless eating, for example, often seeks solitude to hide her or his eating issues.
Even dieting can interfere with relationships and being social. A serious high protein dieter wouldn't be caught dead in a pizza joint. If the high protein dieter does go along with the group, it's likely that he or she will talk incessantly about the evils of simple carbohydrates. Who can enjoy pizza with annoying talk like that?
Instead of enjoying the pizza, the group may feel uncomfortable about the choice of restaurant or the high protein dieter. Do you think that the pizza hater will be included again? Dieting and diet talk aren't the best ways to make friends on campus.
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