Eating Behaviors
by Peggy Kleiber
April 27, 2010
Why Do We Eat?
The primary reason we eat food is to provide our bodies with energy and nutrition for our physical needs. The second reason we eat is psychological, which varies for each individual. Eating can be comforting to someone under stress, or they may wish to avoid food all together. Psychologically, we select foods because of experiences in our lives, and our attitude and habits we have developed toward foods.
The amount of food we eat can change when we are under stress. Parents often use food as a reward and for punishment. There is a variety of flavors in foods and they give us pleasure and stimulate the appetite even when we are not hungry.
We use food to socialize; we even plan special occasions around food. For example, we meet for lunch, so we have an excuse to go spend time with someone. In America it is a tradition to eat turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas.
One of the highlights of going on vacation is eating in a variety of settings and even trying new foods. Many foods are specific to our culture and to the climate we live in. Our cooking skills can even determine what we eat.
How Do We Select The Foods We Eat?
We select foods based on our culture, religion, body health, and to manage diseases. For example: if you lived in New Zealand, you may have grown up on vegemite instead of the peanut butter which is so common in America. If you have a German heritage, you may have grown up on sauerkraut. Today in America we eat a lot of fast food, because both parents are working and our lives are busy. Our parents directly affect what we eat by what they provide and by their example.
Health and diseases are managed through the foods we eat. A diabetic needs to limit sugar, and a heart patient needs to limit the intake of salt. The foods we select can affect our health in positive ways and negative by the nutrients and chemicals they contain. Obesity is caused by consuming more calories than the body burns. Foods high in fiber can help our digestive systems. Over the years various religions have adopted food practices, such as no meats on Fridays, no pork products, various types of fasting practices, bread for communion, etc.
Our five senses play a large role in our selection of foods. We may like or dislike crunchy foods like carrots and celery, because of the crunching sound they make when we bite on them. Spinach is often liked in the raw form, but disliked in the cooked form. Cooking changes the flavor and structure of food, which changes the way the food feels in our mouth. The way in which food feels in our mouth can cause us to respond positively to the food or negative reactions can occur, such as the food triggering a gag reflex. Slimy foods such as canned okra may gag some individuals before the flavor of the food is even tasted, and the same individual may like fried okra. We judge food by the appearance, so marketers put food coloring and other additives in the food to please our sense of sight. The smell of food such as chocolate chip cookies in the oven can stimulate our appetites, because they remind us of good times.
How do you include all these factors when planning meals, and who has this kind of time? First, start with one meal at a time and add meals as you have time. Keeping a tradition like Italian on Fridays, and Mexican on Saturdays can also help in planning meals and gives family members something to look forward to. Having a plan saves time and makes meal preparation more enjoyable. Making a grocery list is easier and faster when you have a planned menu. It is also easier to budget for groceries from month to month when there is continuity of menus from month to month. Having an understanding of why we eat and why we select the foods we eat can help us change our eating patterns and develop healthier eating habits.
