Do Now:Think about everything you have eaten since you woke up yesterday morning..

Were there times where you thought to yourself, “ Are there healthier options to eat?”

Yes? No?

What was one food you ate that you could have switched for a healthier alternative?

Answer in a complete sentence.

My answer:I often think twice about every food I am about to eat.

Yesterday, I took my niece and nephew to Surf Taco, and order the vegan taco which contains mostly beans.

Afterwards I took the kids to cupcake magician in Red Bank. I could have taken them to perhaps a Frozen yogurt place and enjoyed our snack just as much.

UNDERSTANDING OUR FOOD CHOICESFactors That Influence What We Eat

Understanding Our Food Choices

Numerous factors influence choices:Hunger, appetite, and food habitsNutrition knowledge, health beliefs/concerns, and

practicesAvailability, convenience, and economyAdvertising and the mediaEarly experiences, social interactions, and cultural

traditionsPersonal preference, taste, and psychological

needsValues, such as political views, environmental

concerns, and religious beliefs

Availability: Americans enjoy the most abundant food supply in the worldWe have the resources to maintain a large

agricultural industry and import a wide variety of foods from all over the world

Americans tend to choose high-fat diets rich in meat, eggs, desserts, etc.As a result, an abundant food supply has been linked to

degenerative diseasesDegenerative diseases are sometimes referred to as

diseases of affluence

Influential Factors in Making Food Choices

Income, Food Prices, and Convenience:Extremely low incomes make it difficult to buy enough food

to meet minimum nutritional needs which leads to… Undernutrition: severe under-consumption of calories or nutrients leading to disease or increased susceptibility to disease; a form of malnutrition.

Many people perceive that a healthy diet costs more and is inconvenient.

Which can lead to the purchase of inexpensive, high fat, low nutrient “fast foods” and overnutrition

Influential Factors in Making Food Choices

Advertising and the Media:

The food industry spends more than $11 billion overall for food, beverage, and fast-food advertising

The media rank among the most influential sources of diet and nutrition information Television, then magazines and newspapers, radio, family or

friends, books, and the Internet: and finally to doctors

Advertising is not always created with the consumer’s best interest in mind. What is the advertisers goal???

Influential Factors in Making Food Choices

Perceived Barriers to Healthful Eating

Healthy foods are not always available from fast-food and take-out restaurants

It costs more to eat healthy foods

Too busy to take the time to eat healthfully

Too much conflicting information about which foods are healthy and which foods are not

Healthy foods don’t taste good

The people I usually eat with do not eat healthy foods

Ahead of us this week!

Test on Friday (see me if you have lab!)

Review study guide on Thursday

Wednesday go over pre-test.