Education Phase 2 What factors are involved in choosing food and drink?

Age People of different ages need different foods. What does a baby eat? What does an adult eat? Are they the same?

Age

Energy and nutrients Throughout life, we all need different amounts of energy and nutrients. We may make different food choices based on the amount of energy and nutrients we need.

Time of day We choose different food and drinks depending on the time. What food and drinks do you choose throughout the day? Are they different at different times? Explain your answer.

Likes and dislikes Everybody has personal preferences about the food they like and dislike. What is your favourite food? What is your friend’s favourite food? Are they the same?

Vegetarian Some people choose not to eat certain foods. A vegetarian does not eat meat, fish, seafood or any other animal by-products, such as gelatine.

Vegan Vegans do not eat: meat, fish, seafood or other animal by-products such as gelatine; dairy products such as cows milk, cheese, yogurt, goats milk; eggs or foods containing eggs such as mycoprotein; honey.

Religion Religion can affect food choice, for example: Judaism – do not eat pork or shellfish Hinduism – do not eat beef Islam – do not eat pork

Special occasions On special occasions, people may choose to eat different foods. Can you think of any special occasions where you choose different foods?

Allergy A small number of people can have a negative response to food, e.g. gluten, nuts, eggs, shellfish and milk.

Knowledge Some people like to know more about their food. Information labels on food can help. They tell us about the food, e.g. name, ingredients and origin. For example, people trying to lose weight may look at the energy (calories) on a food label.

Money The amount of money you have will affect the food choices you make. If people have less money, they may choose to buy more basic, essential food items. If people have more money, they may choose to buy more luxurious items.

If you only had a small amount of money, which foods would you choose?

Balance Although we might have different needs, one factor remains the same: we all need a balanced and varied diet to stay healthy.