What Drives our Food Choices?

Whether you eat three large meals a day or five to six small ones, we must make a lot of food choices throughout our lifetime.  Many times those choices may be good and some times they may be not-so-good.  What drives our food choices?  Everyone is different and the foods we choose to eat are many times dictated by various social, psychological, philosophical, and physical factors (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).


Many of our food choices are social based.  Have you ever been offered a brownie and eaten it just so that you won't hurt someones feeling or have you ever indulged in a fattening appetizer just because your friends were eating it too? Making the right food choices can be difficult when faced with possibly hurting someones feelings or perhaps feeling left out of a group.  

Psychological reasons for making certain food choices have to do with your mind and your emotions.  Eating habits are learned and psychological reason why and what you eat are varied ("Influences on", n.d).  Those reasons may include eating a certain food because it offers emotional comfort, eating a food because it is based on a memory whether bad or good, or eating out of boredom or loneliness (Sizer & Whitney 2011). 

Another reason for making food choices are philosophical reasons.  Those choices may be based on a personal belief such as not eating a particular food group because it is against religious beliefs or because it goes against moral values.  Many times people turn to vegetarianism because of animal welfare concerns (Phillips, 2005). 

Last but not least, many food choices are made because of physical reasons. Many times a person will choose a certain type of food that will help them control their body weight or they feel that it is good for their health.  Other physical reasons are because of feelings of hunger and because of the senses.  Sometimes, if something smells good or looks good, people will choose to eat even if they are not really hungry ("Influences on", n.d.).


As you can see, there are many reasons for the food choices that we make.  No matter, what your choice is, it is important to think about why you are eating a certain food before you eat it.  Making a conscious effort to eat foods that are good for you may take time and effort, but is well worth it in the end. 

References

Influences on food choices and food patterns. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0070739978/568676/mhr_ffl_sample_ch01.pdf

Phillips, F. (2005). Vegetarian nutrition. Nutrition Bulletin, 30(2), 132-167. Retrieved fromhttp://web.ebscohost.com

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2011). Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth