Eating Habits

The term eating habits ( or food habits ) refers to why and how people eat, which foods they eat, and with whom they eat, a well as the ways people obtain, store, use, and discard food. Individual, social, cultural, religious, economic, environmental, and political factors all influence people ‘s eating habits .

Why and How People Eat

All humans eat to survive. They besides eat to express appreciation, for a sense of belong to, as contribution of kin customs, and for self-fulfillment. For exemplar, person who is not hungry may eat a piece of coat that has been baked in his or her honor. People eat according to learned behaviors regarding etiquette, meal and nosh patterns, satisfactory foods, food combinations, and parcel sizes. Etiquette refers to satisfactory behaviors. For exemplar, for some groups it is acceptable to lick one ‘s fingers while eating, while for early groups this is natural behavior. Etiquette and eating rituals besides vary depending on whether the meal is formal, informal, or special ( such as a meal on a birthday or religious holiday ).

A meal is normally defined as the consumption of two or more foods in a structure fix at a sic time. Snacks dwell of a small total of food or beverage eaten between meals. A common corrode traffic pattern is three meals ( breakfast, lunch, and dinner ) per day, with snacks between meals. The components of a meal vary across cultures, but broadly include grains, such as rice or noodles ; meat or a kernel substitute, such as pisces, beans, or tofu ; and accompaniments, such as vegetables. assorted food guides provide suggestions on foods to eat, share sizes, and daily intake. however, personal preferences, habits, family customs, and social setting largely determine what a person consumes .

What People Eat

In each culture there are both satisfactory and unacceptable foods, though this is not determined by whether or not something is edible. For model, alligators exist in many parts of the populace, but they are unacceptable as food by many persons. Likewise, horses, turtles, and dogs are eaten ( and even considered a airiness ) in some cultures, though they are unacceptable food sources in other cultures. There are besides rules concerning with whom it is allow to eat. For example, doctors in a health facility may eat in areas separate from patients or clients .

Obtaining, Storing, Using, and Discarding Food

Humans acquire, store, and discard food using a assortment of methods. People may grow, fish, or hunt some of their food, or they may purchase most of it from supermarkets or forte stores. If there is limit access to energy sources, people may store small amounts of foods and get most of what they eat on a daily basis. In homes with abundant space and department of energy, however, people purchase food in bulk and store it in freezers, refrigerators, and pantries. In either case there must besides be proper disposal facilities to avoid environmental and health problems .

Exposure to Foods

There are countless flavors and food combinations. A like for some flavors or food combinations is easily satisfactory, but others must develop or be learned. Sweetness is a universally acceptable spirit, but a taste for piquant, savory, piquant, prostitute, bitter, and hot flavors must be learned. The more a person is exposed to a food—and encouraged to eat it—the greater the chances that the food will be accepted. As the exposure to a food increases, the person becomes more familiar and less fearful of the food, and acceptance may develop. Some persons only eat specific foods and relish combinations, while others like trying different foods and flavors .

Influences on Food Choices

There are many factors that determine what foods a person eats. In addition to personal preferences, there are cultural, social, religious, economic, environmental, and even political factors .

Individual Preferences.

Every individual has unique likes and dislikes concerning foods. These preferences develop over clock, and are influenced by personal experiences such as encouragement to eat, exposure to a food, family customs and rituals, advertising, and personal values. For exemplar, one person may not like frankfurters, despite the fact that they are a family favorite .

Cultural Influences.

A cultural group provides guidelines regarding satisfactory foods, food combinations, eating patterns, and eating behaviors. conformity with these guidelines creates a sense of identity and belong for the individual. Within big cultural groups, subgroups exist that may exercise variations of the group ‘s eating behaviors, though they are still considered part of the larger group. For exemplar, a ground beef, french fries, and a sodium carbonate are considered a distinctive american meal. Vegetarians in the United States, however, eat “ veggie-burgers ” made from squash beans, puree vegetables, or soy sauce, and people on diets may eat a hamburger made from lean turkey. In the United States these are appropriate cultural substitutions, but a hamburger made from horsemeat would be unacceptable .

Social Influences.

Members of a social group count on each other, share a park acculturation, and charm each early ‘s behaviors and values. A person ‘s membership in particular peer, work, or community groups impacts food behaviors. For example, a young person at a basketball game may eat certain foods when accompanied by friends and other foods when accompanied by his or her teacher .

Religious Influences.

religious proscriptions range from a few to many, from relaxed to highly restrictive. This will affect a follower ‘s food choices and behaviors. For example, in some religions specific foods are prohibited, such as pork barrel among jewish and muslim adherents. Within Christianity, the Seventh-day Adventists discourage “ stimulant ” beverages such as alcohol, which is not forbidden among Catholics.

Economic Influences.

money, values, and consumer skills all affect what a person purchases. The price of a food, however, is not an indicator of its nutritional value. Cost is a complex combination of a food ‘s handiness, condition, and demand .

Environmental Influences.

The influence of the environment on food habits derives from a composite of ecological and sociable factors. Foods that are normally and easily grown within a specific area frequently become a contribution of the local cuisine. however, advanced technology, agrarian practices, and fare methods have increased the year-round handiness of many foods, and many foods that were previously available merely at certain seasons or in specific areas are immediately available about anywhere, at any time .

Political Influences.

political factors besides influence food handiness and trends. Food laws and trade agreements affect what is available within and across countries, and besides affect food prices. Food labeling laws determine what consumers know about the food they purchase. Eating habits are thus the result of both external factors, such as politics, and home factors, such as values. These habits are formed, and may change, over a person ‘s life. see also Diet ; popular Culture, Food and. Judith C. Rodriguez

Bibliography

Haviland, William A. ( 1990 ). Cultural Anthropology. Chicago : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Kittler, Pamela G., and Sucher, Kathryn P. ( 1998 ). Food and Culture in America: A Nutrition Handbook, 2nd version. Belmont, CA : West/Wadsworth.

Klimis-Zacas, Dorothy J., erectile dysfunction. ( 2001 ). Annual Editions: Nutrition 01/02. Guilford, CT : mcgraw Hill/Dushkin. Lowenberg, Miriam Elizabeth ; Todhunter, Elizabeth Neige ; Wilson, E. D. ; Savage, J. R. ; and Lubawski, J. L. ( 1979 ). Food and People. New York : Wiley. Schlosser, Eric ( 2001 ). Fast Food Nation: The Darker Side of the All American Meal. New York : Houghton Mifflin .