A: On our programme today we have Dr. Brown, an endocrinologist, expert in food-related health problems, who is going to talk about some of the health problems you mention in your letters. Good morning Doctor.
<br/>B: Good morning.
<br/>A: Some of our listeners want to know why they love eating certain foods and they hate others.
<br/>B: Our body normally knows which foods are good or bad for us and 'urges' us to consume or avoid them. 
<br/>In a recent survey, the majority of the people asked reported that changing their diet improved their mental health significantly.
<br/>A: So you mean that our choice of food is controlled by our body?
<br/>B: Exactly! And not only that, according to the survey, cutting down on food "stressors" and increasing the amount of "supporters" people eat had a beneficial effect on their mood. 
<br/>Stressors highlighted included sugar (80%), caffeine (79%), alcohol (55%) and chocolate (53%). 
<br/>Supporters included water (80%), vegetables (78%), fruit (72%) and oil-rich fish (52%). 
<br/>Moreover, eating regularly and not skipping breakfast were also highlighted as ways to boost mental health.
<br/>A: But then, what happens when we overdo it with food? I mean, there are people who cannot stop eating and others who don't want to eat any food at all.
<br/>B: You are right there! When the brain sends the wrong signals, then the balance can be reversed. 
<br/>In the first case, people who cannot stop eating suffer from bulimia, which is related to deep psychological issues and feelings of lack of control. 
<br/>Sufferers wrongly use the destructive eating pattern to feel in control over their lives. 
<br/>In the other case, known as anorexia or anorexia nervosa, people, wrongly again, think they are fat and unattractive. 
<br/>One of the most well-known findings is that people with anorexia tend to over-estimate the size or fatness of their own bodies.
<br/>A: You mean, they think they're fat but others don't?
<br/>B: Exactly! A recent review of research in this area suggests that this is not how people see it, but how the affected person sees it.
<br/>A: Back to what we discussed before, do you think that careful selection of the foods we eat can make a difference in the way we feel?
<br/>B: According to the survey, over a third of the people asked said they were very certain that the improvements they had seen to their mental health were directly linked to the changes they had made to their diet.
<br/>A: It's been a very interesting and enlightening discussion. Thank you very much Dr. Brown for being with us today.
<br/>B: My pleasure!
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