5.01 C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Physiological Influences Gender/Age Caloric needs Nutritional needs Health Wellness Activity levels Some of the individual influences that affect our food choices are termed physiological influences. People eat because they are hungry, but what they eat may depend on their age or gender. It might also be influenced by their health. If someone is not feeling well, often they are not hungry. They may be in poor health because they don’t have proper nourishment, or have some disease that affects their health such as diabetes. 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Psychological influences Stress Emotion Appetite 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Personal Beliefs and Tastes Likes… Why do you like foods that you choose? Dislikes… Why do you dislike the foods you refuse? 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Culture and Customs Racial, religious and social groups that practice similar traditions. Dietary laws Muslims and Jews consider pork unclean. Fish is eaten during Lent. Traditions that are practiced yearly Thanksgiving Easter Christmas Culture is the customs and beliefs of a racial, religious or social group. Today, people often refer to culture in the United States as a “melting pot” because there are so many cultural groups that are here. 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Situational Factors Stages of the family life cycle. Family schedules. Peer groups Financial resources Family budget Knowledge and skills Culinary skills The situation in which your life affects how and what you eat 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

Family and social ties to bring us together How do we use food? Comfort soothes you. S Nutrition to maintain the functions of the body. sss Wellness to affect one’s well being. Entertainment Is how we use food for/to… To entertain us We all hear or ask the question “What is there to eat around here” When are the times you ask this question? What are some of your favorite snacks. When do you snack? How much do you spend on snack food in one day? In one week? Besides selecting snacks, what other decisions about food do you make? Enjoyment to satisfy the senses. Family and social ties to bring us together Adventure new experiences. 5.01C Individual Food Choices and Influences

5.01I External Influences 5.01I External Influences 8 http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm is the link for “‘How truthful is that information”? Handout sheet http://www1.medialiteracy.com/downloads/parents/corekidsadultspdf.pdf The How Truthful is that information is an extra activity if computer access is available. 5.01I External Influences 8

Media Print Radio Television Popular press Internet Newspaper Magazines Books Internet The media acquaints you with, reminds you of, and informs you about food products and nutrition issues. The quality of the information from the media ranges from excellent to totally worthless and harmful. 5.01I External Influences 9

Technological Influences Food processing Food preparation Food processing includes additives that enhance shelf life, nutritional value and food quality. Food preparation includes equipment such as microwaves, convection oven commercial equipment is now available to homeowners. 5.01I External Influences

Environmental Influences Ecological factors Climate issues Land availability Ecological factors include the type of soil, the amount of rainfall and other climatic conditions. The social factors include what is considered acceptable in the culture in which one lives. 5.01I External Influences 11

Economic Influences Price Food’s availability Demand Although food is becoming more expensive in the United States, there is enough food. That is not the case in other countries. Seafood is now more widely included in American diets, a fact that has resulted in decreasing numbers of fish that are available close to shore. When the demand for a food increases, the cost generally rises. 5.01I External Influences 12