Factors that Influence Our Food Choices

Factors that Influence Our Food Choices

 

 



Friends, family members, stress levels, esteem, confidence, ideals, values, cravings, environment: 

All of these are factors that contribute to our food choices.

 

Although we may not realize it consciously all the time, there are social, psychological, philosophical, and physical factors that drive our food choices every single day. Of course the main influence for food choices are driven by biological factors such as hunger, taste and appetite and also economical factors like income, cost and availability.

• Social determinants are factors such as culture, family, peers, and eating habits, such as meal patterns that have shaped your food preferences in one way or another, either directly or indirectly. Social settings also play a role in food choices, as the majority of adults work in areas where healthy food availability is limited which a huge factor when it comes to eating while outside of the home.
• Psychological factors can be issues such as stress, mood, or even guilt about food. When a person is stressed they can overeat, or even deprive themselves of food, both of which have negative effects on health. People can really struggle with these issues for a long time because some foods really do make us feel better for a little while after we eat them which makes it easy to turn to food for comfort when we are stressed or emotional.
• Philosophical determinants are factors such as beliefs and values you hold towards food influenced by your religious, political, and environmental views. Positive and negative associations can influence food choices as well, positive being you eat foods because you associate them with status, or people you admire, or negative if they were forced on you or if you have gotten sick from eating a food before.
• Physical factors include cost and access, education, skills, and time, all of which heavily influence choice of foods. Whether cost is prohibitive depends fundamentally on a person's income and socio-economic status. Accessibility depends on resources such as transport and geographical location, as the number of stores varies across urban, suburban and rural areas. Research shows education level can influence dietary behavior as well as level of cooking and culinary skill. Time is a major factor when many people because they work so many hours don't have time to cook meals, or don't have the energy because they have to resort to fast food to refuel during the day, which quickly begins to take a negative toll on the body in many different ways.

 

 

Resources

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.).  Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The Determinants of Food Choice. (2005) European Food Information Council. Retrieved May 29, 2015, from http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-food-choice/