Bellringer

• Think about the food you ate Monday and Tuesday

• Pick 1 food and write down the food and the reason why you selected that food.

Factors Affecting Food Choices

Nutrition and Wellness

Objective

• I will discuss the factors that affect food choices

Food Fact or Fiction

• Fresh Fruits are healthier than frozen or canned

• Body weight is a reliable indicator of a healthful diet

• Eating carbohydrates causes weight gain

• Eating just before bedtime is fattening

• Eating sugar causes diabetes

• Occasionally following a fad diet is a safe way to lose weight

• Reference: eatright.org

The Choices You Make

• Availability

• Taste

• Hunger

• Nutritional Value

• Calories

• Cost

• Convenience

• Culture

• Religion

• Science and Technology

• Media

• Friends

• Age

• Health Issues

• Emotions

Availability

• Factors that can affect what foods are sold in stores include agriculture, technology, economics, and politics.

• Differs among regions throughout the world

• Poverty is a close relative of hunger

• Political powerhouses have less prevalence of hunger than other countries.

• Some poorer countries use their resource to export rather than feed their own.

• Federal regulations mandate how food is to be produced and processed

Taste

• An individual factor

• Dependent on culture

Hunger

• How hungry are you?

• Are you eating only when you are hungry?

Nutritional Value

• Based on how much you know about nutrition

• Reading food labels

• Balancing meals

• Accurate nutrition knowledge is important!

Calories

• Do you want to gain weight? Lose weight? Maintain current weight?

• Activity levels

Convenience

• Are you a busy person, always on the go?

• Have time for a sit-down meal?

Cost

• Budget and finances

Culture

• Culture: refers to the beliefs and social customs of a group of people.

• Ethnic foods: foods that are typical of a given racial, national, or religious culture.ie. Soul Food

• Food norms: typical standards and patterns related to food and eating behaviors.

• Food taboos: social customs that prohibit the use of certain edible resources as foods.

Food Taboos

• http://youtu.be/icHMAwhkURs

• http://youtu.be/9XT4SbajwFw

Religion

• Special dietary Restrictions

• Rules regarding what members may or may not eat.

• Jewish: Kosher Muslim: No Pork Seventh-Day Adventist: Vegetarian

• Hindu: Vegetarian Catholic: No meat during Lent• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujujK_r3xAc

Science and Technology

• Advances in food growth, preparation, transportation, and preservation.

• Trucks, trains, and planes equipped with refrigeration allow for food to be transported across long distances without spoiling.

• Genetic research

• Extended shelf life

Media

• Commercials• Children view 22,000 commercials a year

• Magazines

• Advertising can be helpful and hurtful

Friends

• Peer Pressure: “everyone else is eating it”

• Family: watching your parents

Age

• People of different ages tend to make different food choices

• Taste changes over life cycle

Health Issues

• Illnesses, diseases, allergies, and other sensitivities

Emotions

• People use food to do more than satisfy hunger.

• Emotional Responses

• Dealing with emotions

• Rewards and Punishments