FCS-FNW-3. Students will identify the factors that affect food choices and dietary quality.

a. Discuss socio-cultural impacts such as race/ethnicity, region, religion, and social and personal environment and analyze the influences of demographic factors: age, gender, education level, family composition, income, and exposure to new foods.

b. Describe the importance of sensory attributes and the influence of marketing techniques (such as packaging, advertising techniques, and physical environment) on food choices.

c. Discuss the influence of health status and health consciousness including medical diets, food allergies and intolerances, preventive health measures, concerns about pesticides and food additives, nutrient content, and organic production on food choices.

d. Discuss the impact of time and monetary constraints, such as family schedules and convenience foods, on dietary quality.

Food ChoicesReferences: Food for Today

McGraw-Hill Nutrition and Wellness

McGraw-Hill/Glencoe

Why You Eat What You Do… Several influences affect eating

choices People around you

Family: What you ate growing up Friends: Restaurants and “fad” foods

Culture Connection Culture is the shared beliefs, values and

behavior of a group of people Where your live, your ethnicity, food traditions

Continued Subgroups of culture

Geography, heritage (ethnic groups), and religion Food customs

How food is prepared, served, and eaten Unique foods (BBQ from Texas, Clam Chowder from New

England) Dietary Laws

Example: Jewish religion and a Kosher Diet

Cultural Etiquette Chopsticks, eating with the hands, etc

Special Occasions “Thanksgiving” Food”, Wedding Cakes, New Year’s Day

(Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens)

Continued… Available Food Supply

What is grown where you live Georgia is famous for what things?

Peaches, peanuts, blueberries, corn, soybeans, watermelon, onions

Technology has made an impact on how food supplies are stored and processed

Schedules, Energy, Budget What you eat and buy are affected by your

resources Time, income level, personal energy, convenience foods

(foods that are quick to prepare or eat)

Continued… You

Your lifestyle and characteristics affect food choices

Examples Age: Teenagers are not apt to eat the same foods

that adults do Attitudes/Emotions: Feelings towards foods

(memories or experiences) Diet goals and health concerns Knowledge/level of education: New recipes, products

and information can influence what you eat Income Level: Better quality foods cost more Exposure: Traveling, making new friends, trying new

cusine

Continued… Food Advertising

Ads make you aware of new foods and may provide useful information about nutrition

Can you guess these food ads? Cereal (A Tiger) Fast Food (A Dog) Bread (Whoo Hoo)

Food packaging also plays a major role in why we buy and eat the foods we do Food stylists create food products for photographs used in

advertising They also use non food items to give the idea of fresh, tasty food For example, hamburger buns are really foam spray painted and

milk is really sour cream

PROJECT! Create a food advertisement for a BRAND NEW

FOOD Must list:

Price Slogan What it is FIVE things that make it great Picture

MUST BE CREATIVE! Remember to include what you have just learned

about: The factors that affect food choices! You will be graded on all of the above,

neatness, creativity, and timeliness

What Do You Think? How might decisions about what you

eat be influenced by where you live? What else can influence food choices? Give an example of how a particular

lifestyle can affect food choices. Define media. How does the media

affect food choices? List three foods you buy because of the packaging.

Continued… Sensory Attributes

Our five senses also affect our food choices The way your senses respond to food

affect your appetite (psychological desire to eat)

Just slight aroma, taste, or seeing your favorite food can make you hungry

Sound can also affect appetite

What do you think?

You have five senses: Taste, touch, sound, sight and smell List each sense and TWO foods that appeal to

you for that particular sense What makes certain foods so appealing to

you? What are some foods that trigger your

appetite? Why do you think that some foods don’t

satisfy your hunger?

Continued…

Your tongue is covered with papillae (puh-pih-lee), or tiny bumps that contain taste buds Each papilla has hundreds of taste buds, which

distinguish sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes Other nerve endings sense temperature and texture

When one of your senses is altered, the flavor of food may be altered as well Illness and medications can dull sensations and

detract from the flavor of food When you have a cold and you can’t smell, it alters the

taste of food

Sense Activities Taste Test Smell Test

Special Diets and Health Concerns Only a doctor or a

health professional should recommend a medical diet Once a medical diet

has been set in place, it is important to follow it as close as possible

The most common medical diet is probably a diabetic diet

Diabetes A condition in which the body can’t

control levels of sugar in the blood properly It all has to do with insulin, which is a

body chemical that helps sugar in your blood move into your body’s cells In one type of diabetes, the body doesn’t

produce enough insulin In another, the body doesn’t use the insulin

that is produced normally Oral medicine or insulin injections may

be necessary A special diet low in sugars is required Those who are overweight are at high

risk for developing diabetes

Modified Diet A special eating plan

that helps to keep a medical condition under control

It may involve limiting certain foods or choosing foods for nutritional value

Examples Low fat/low

cholesterol Low sodium High fiber Soft diet

Food Additives These are used to improve flavor or

appearance Common examples include preservatives,

food colorings, flavorings, sweeteners, etc. Food additives can serve valuable

purposes in the production of food, but if used in excess, they may pose risk to health A common belief is that food colorings

(specifically red and yellow) can add to the effects of ADHD

Food Intolerance The body has trouble digesting or handling a

component of food Examples:

Gluten People can’t digest this protein found in wheat

products Lactose Intolerance

The inability to adequately digest lactose, the main sugar found in milk and milk products

Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pains and nausea People will need to:

drink 1 cup of milk or less with other foods Eat hard aged cheeses (parmesan) and yogurt Choose lactose free products or use the drops that reduce

lactose Ask your doctor for a prescriptive supplement that will help

you digest lactose

Food Allergies A sensitivity to a food that involves

the body’s immune system The immune system mistakenly reacts to

the food as if it were an illness to fight Reactions include rashes, vomiting, stomach

cramps, breathing problems The reactions usually occur right after eating the

food, or just by being around them If you think you have a food allergy, there

are many types of tests your doctor can perform on you The allergy is treated by preventing the

reaction and eliminating foods from your diet that cause the reaction

Food and Medications They can affect each

other and your body’s chemistry

Food can help or hinder your body’s use of medicines

Also, some medicines affect how your body uses nutrients

Follow instructions for taking medicines, especially when they say to take with food or drink

If medicine is taken on an empty stomach, it can slow the absorption or cause ulcers

Some foods will react with medications

Organic Foods Organic foods have become very popular over

the last decade Many people chose organic because of the way

that food is grown and harvested Organic foods do not use chemical fertilizers or

pesticides Some people feel that these cause cancers and

diseases, as well as harm the environment These foods must be stamped with the USDA seal of

approval for organic food

These foods have not been proven more nutritious than conventional farmed foods

Organic foods are more costly