Transcript WhatWorldEats

What the World Eats
What Influences our Food Choices
Factors that Affect your Food
Choices
Americans make an estimated 200-plus
choices regarding food each day, according to
Cornell University professor Brian Wansink.
Factors you scarcely notice influence many of
these decisions. Although the list of potential
contributing factors is long, some are
particularly common. Gaining an
understanding of these factors may guide you
toward making wiser overall choices, gaining
improved wellness as a result.
Hunger
• Going too long between meals, skipping meals and eating
too few overall calories all stimulate hunger, which can
influence your food choices. In ancient times, say registered
dietitian Sharon Palmer, hunger was often life-saving,
prompting early humans to hunt and forage for food for
survival. If you experience "starvation," as many dieters
claim to, you may crave foods that provide dense amounts
of fat, protein, carbohydrates and calories. If you skip
breakfast, for example, you may be more likely to choose a
juicy cheeseburger and French fries rather than soup or
salad for lunch. Intense hunger and meal-skipping can also
lead to larger portions, additional helpings and desire for
dessert.
Palatability
• Palatability, or how pleasing you find particular foods, also
influences your choices. Taste, smell, appearance and
texture of the food, and your previous experience with the
food, contribute to its palatability. A food that once gave
you food poisoning, for example, may remain unpalatable,
while a dish you have often enjoyed may seem
continuously tantalizing. Visually pleasing foods, such as
fresh strawberries drizzled with dark chocolate, may appeal
more than a plain grapefruit or carrot. High-fat, sweet
foods, such as pastries and ice cream, have an "undeniable
sensory appeal," according to the European Food
Information Council. Also, these foods more often lead to
overeating.
Proximity
• Ready access to foods also affects your choices. Having
foods at hand commonly linked with cravings, such as
chips and chocolate, is particularly likely to increase your
desire for them, according to Dietitians of Canada. Living
near fast food restaurants may lead to eating meals at
those venues more often. Similarly, keeping fresh fruit,
vegetables and low-fat milk well-stocked in your
refrigerator, rather than pastries and soft drinks, can
result in routine healthier food choices.
Parental Factors
• Many children develop eating habits similar to those of
their parents. If you were raised on a particular cuisine,
such as Italian or Asian, for example, you may choose
similar foods throughout your life. A parent's attitudes and
behaviors related to food, particular a mother's, tend to
have a significant impact on a child's dietary habits,
according to a report published in the "British Journal of
Nutrition" in 2008. If a mother diets or overeats repeatedly,
for example, her child is likely to do so as well. Imposing
harsh restrictions or rules on a child's food intake can lead
to poor overall food choices, overeating and obesity.
Other Factors
• Psychological, Emotional, Social, Cultural,
Economic, Geographical, Physical, and
Religious.
“What the World Eats”
A photo-essay comparing
food-consumption and costs
Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
• Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen
or $317.25
• Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato
chips
The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
• Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros
or $260.11
• Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs,
frozen fish sticks
The Manzo family of Sicily
Chad: The Aboubakar family of
Breidjing Camp
• Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA
Francs or $1.23
• Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat
The Aboubakar family of Breidjing
Camp
China: The Dong family of Beijing
• Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76
Yuan or $155.06
• Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with
sweet and sour sauce
The Dong family of Beijing
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of
Konstancin-Jeziorna
• Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys
or $151.27
• Family recipe: Pig's knuckles with carrots,
celery and parsnips
The Sobczynscy family of KonstancinJeziorna
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
• Food expenditure for one week: 387.85
Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
• Family recipe: Okra and mutton
The Ahmed family of Cairo
United States: The Revis family of
North Carolina
• Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
• Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame
chicken
The Revis family of North Carolina
Mexico: The Casales family of
Cuernavaca
• Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78
Mexican Pesos or $189.09
• Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken
The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of
Kuwait City
• Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar
or $221.45
• Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati
rice
The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
• Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
• Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage
The Ayme family of Tingo
United States: The Caven family of
California
• Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
• Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt
sundae, clam chowder, ice cream
The Caven family of California
Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of
Ulaanbaatar
• Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85
togrogs or $40.02
• Family recipe: Mutton dumplings
The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar
Great Britain: The Bainton family of
Cllingbourne Ducis
• Food expenditure for one week: 155.54
British Pounds or $253.15
• Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise
sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge
cake with cream
The Bainton family of Cllingbourne
Ducis
Bhutan: The Namgay family of
Shingkhey Village
• Food expenditure for one week: 224.93
ngultrum or $5.03
• Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork
The Namgay family of Shingkhey
Village
Germany: The Melander family of
Bargteheide
• Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros
or $500.07
• Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions,
bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs
and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding
The Melander family of Bargteheide
THE END