Why do we eat what we eat?

Everybody eats food, we have to, otherwise we are going to die. But why do you eat what you eat? Do you think about this when doing your groceries? Yes – of course mostly because you like it. But what reasons are behind that reason and how is our taste determined?

Food choice, like any other human behavior, is in influenced by many interrelated factors. The most important reasons to eat is of course hunger and satiety, but what we choose to eat is another thing. This is determined by other factors, namely;

• The sensory assets of foods, such as taste, smell or appearance;
• Social, emotional and cognitive factors, such as likes and dislikes, knowledge and attitudes related to diet and health.
• Personal values, life experiences or cooking skills, a person’s beliefs and perceptions, such as perceived barriers to eating a healthy diet.
• Cultural, religious and economic factors also constrain our choice. Education, ethnicity and availability, visibility or prices of products play a major role in our food choice.

So, there are a lot of factors that influence our choice of food, but when doing groceries you do not immediately think about all these factors, most of them are integrated in your behavior.

But, the choice of food and food habits changed overtime. People are eating more and more unhealthy dishes and they are getting heavier and heavier. This also concerns very young children. Obesity is a serious problem nowadays.

The famous cook Jamie Oliver, you probably know him and if you don’t; your mom probably will, has set up a program to cook healthier, with fresh food. It is called ‘Food Revolution’ and it also entails healthier dishes at schools and unis. He also gives courses to young children, to show them what they are eating exactly and where it comes from. We all assume everybody knows that, but it is striking hom many people actually do not know what they are eating or where it comes from, let alone their kids!

Wanna know more about this program? Here is already a sneek peek!

For more information, you can visit his website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/home 

Stand up for real food!

X Kim