Factors Affecting Food Choices

1
Factors Affecting Food Choices

• Chapter 2

2
Food is a Reflection of Culture

• Food habits are a reflection of culture.
• If affects all aspect of your life.
• Some eat insects while we eat BBQ.
• Sounds strange to us, but BBQ sounds strange to
  them.
• Historical Influences
• Where are your ancestors from? Does that affect
  traditional foods in your family?
• Ethnic Influences
• Usually religion or racial or certain part of the
  country food.
• Food taboos-against eating beef, or cannot
  understand why we wouldnt eat dog.
• Regional Influences
• Eat it because it is popular where you live or an
  abundance of it where you live.
• Religious Influences
• Rules regarding food choices. Can you think of
  one?

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Social Influences on Food Choices

• By people we are around.
• Restaurants/foods become popular by certain
  people.
• Family- manners, how to eat certain foods,
  traditions
• Friends- noticed that you all like similar foods?
• Status of food- foods that have a social impact
  on others. Ex who eats caviar?
• Media- advertisements, colors.

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Emotions Affects Food Choices

• Eat a bad banana, now can never eat a banana.
• Fig 2-8
• Emotional responses- linked to gender
• To deal with emotions- depressed, happy
• For reward or punishment- chocolate, salad.
• Preferences- like one more than another because
  of positive emotions.

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The Influence of Agriculture, Technology,
Economics and Politics

• Control over what food to put in your pantry,
  little control over what is available to buy and
  price at the store.
• Resources Soil, climate, technical knowledge,
  human energy.
• Technology Improved packaging to get foods here
  otherwise we may not.
• Economics of food Money is needed for producing
  and buying. Poor countries lack this so they
  cannot afford the importing.
• Politics of food what is grown and where,
  investing, regulations.

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Nutrition Knowledge Affects Food Choices

• We are so influenced by everything around us that
  sometimes we believe old wives tales about
  certain foods.
• Ex Should you avoid vegetable oil beause it is
  high in cholesterol? You should answer no
  because if you did your research you would find
  that it has no cholesterol.
• Magical power foods (apples)
• Pills (multivitamins are a must)
• Pesticides (chemicals)
• Cure diseases (citrus prevents Scurvy disease)
• You need to make yourself knowledgeable about the
  food you eat and know what you are putting in
  your mouth.

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Activity

• In your food journals try and add one new food
  that you usually do not eat or a food you have
  never eaten before. What are you going to try?
  (want to be able to see it).
• Identify a food from your culture. Ex you
  originally from Germany describe a food from
  there. Draw a picture of the food or find a
  picture on the internet, explain what is in it
  and try and explain how it fits into the culture.
• Extra Credit prepare this food at home and bring
  it in to share with the class.