Factors affecting our food choices

Social, psychological, philosophical and physical factors drive our food choices:

There are many factors that drive our food choices. Achieving good health is just one of them, and is generally overlooked. “A variety of social, cultural and economic factors contribute to the development, maintenance and change of dietary patterns” (Eetermans, Baeyens, & Van den Bergh, 2001). In addition “intra-individual determinants such as physiological and psychological factors, acquired food preferences and knowledge, can be distinguished from interpersonal or social factors such as family and group influences” (Eetermans et al, 2001) also affect our overall food choices.

Social factors are just one of the many venues that influence the foods we consume. These factors may include family members, peer groups, trends, economic standing (resources, cost, income, etc), availability, meal patterns, etc. Psychological factors may include influences from cultural backgrounds, mood/emotions, stress, habits, attitudes or appetite (EUFIC, 2005). Biological factors can also fall into this group, including perceived hunger, smell and taste (EUFIC, 2005). In addition age, gender and physical activity may drive what types of foods and beverages we consume. Philosophical factors influencing our food choices may include beliefs and knowledge about various foods. Physical factors that influence what foods we choose are location or demographics, accessibility, skills (such as cooking), and time restraints (EUFIC, 2005). Convenience is another factor that influences our food choices, which can probably fall under any of the above categories.

Nutritional needs for physical activity and performance should be what drives what foods we eats. Our bodies naturally require certain foods in certain quantities to accommodate the physical activities that we participate in. In addition to physical activity, gender and age affects what nutritional needs our body requires. We need to replace the energy lost during physical activities if we want to maintain a healthy body weight, and may need more of a certain nutrient when participating in a certain physical activity. That being said “physical activity has great influence on body composition --- on the amount of fat, muscle and bone tissue” (WHO, 2003) we develop or don’t develop. But, nutrition and physical activity run hand in hand (no pun intended, and if we want to maintain a healthy body we need both. This is an area where I have changed a lot. I used to eat to satisfy my taste buds and to gain approval from family or peers, even though I did not perceive this concept at the time. Knowledge is power and it has had a great influence in my life, and it is knowledge that has drastically changed my diet. I was pretty well influenced by others growing up, due to the limited knowledge I had about nutrition, and was (and still can get caught up) by trends or diets that pop up all the time in our culture. I have found though that I have gotten a lot better no letting too many outside sources, such as peer pressure (“come on, you can eat just one slice of cake”), influence my food choices. I have found that I have developed much more self control than I used to hold. In addition, now that I have changed my diet I don’t crave the foods I used to and it is a lot easier and more natural to eat a healthy diet. It can only get better from here. Another interesting concept is that the more active I am, the more I desire healthier foods. On days that I am sitting all day, say in my office or doing homework, I generally begin to crave not as healthy options. Also, I don’t seem to be as hungry as I feel when I am sitting all day as well. “Active people do have healthy appetites, by the appetite is suppressed following a workout and satiation during meals is heightened…exercise helps to normalize the appetite, possibly by altering levels of the appetite-regulating hormones” (Sizer, 2011).

Resources

Eetermans, A., Baeyens, F., & Van den Bergh, O. (2001). Food likes and their relative importance    in human eating behavior: review and preliminary suggestions for health promotion. Oxford Journals, 16(4), 443-456. Retrieved from http://her.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/4/443

EUFIC (2005). The Determinants of Food. European Food Information Council. Retrieved from             http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-food-choice/

Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2011). Nutrition concepts and controversies (12^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth learning.

WHO (2003). Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. World Health Organization.    Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_916.pdf