3 Food habits
In Week 1 we looked at the social aspects of eating. Look at Table 1 below which highlights the factors influencing food choice.
| Physiological | Social/psychological | Cultural |
|---|---|---|
| the need to live | social and personal status | national identity |
| appetite | group identity | cultural group |
| sensory appeal | emotional support | food staples |
| hunger/satiety | reward/punishment | meal patterns |
| personal likes and dislikes | ritual/habit | religious practices |
| special therapeutic diets, e.g. for coeliac disease | communication | restrictions |
We looked at malnutrition in Week 6. You may be able to link the factors above with under- and overnutrition, especially when food is readily available and when it is limited.
Certain food habits can affect our health. These are known as eating disorders, which are sometimes thought of as ‘fussy eating’. We now look at the difference between fussy eating, disordered eating and an eating disorder.