Introduction
By 2015, the World Health Organization foresees that there will be 2.3 billion people overweight and 700 million people will be obese.1 In food psychology, psychologists are studying the mental process for why and we eat certain foods. To us, we may think of the food that we eat from a biological perspective. However, researchers are learning that the decisions we make on our eating habits are based on our perception of food and other social and environmental stimuli that surround us. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine what influences our choices on the foods that we eat.
Background
The food we consume not only gives energy for our body but also affects how we feel. We eat food to make us feel good. Each food we consume tastes, feels, and smells different. However, when we start to consume too much or too little food then it can be harmful to our health and body. The key to having a healthy life is following a healthy eating pattern and finding ways to improve our eating behavior. The psychological part is to develop a thinking pattern that will help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Food psychology can be beneficial to everybody, but mainly it is useful for people that are having weight or eating problems. People having problems losing weight tend to eat too much food or have a poor eating habit. Eating problems may occur when a person is not eating enough food to provide energy for their body. However, many people make food choices based on the advertisements, opinions from family and friends, or personal interests.
Main Findings
Commercialism
Food advertising is a major influence for what foods we eat. We see food advertisements in magazines, television commercials, on billboard...
... middle of paper ...
... individuals to eat certain foods. Nevertheless, many parents educate their children on the importance of healthy eating, but in the end the individual themselves is making the final decision.
Gradually obesity, overweight, and other chronic health problems are starting to become more apparent in more individuals. Most studies have shown that individuals that are eating poorly don’t have the proper knowledge on how to eat a balanced meal. Being surrounded by so many options can overwhelm a person which can lead them to making the poor choice. In food psychology, understanding why certain people make certain food choices has made food psychologist realize that many individuals lack the knowledge of nutrition. By educating individuals on how to make better food choices and guiding them in the right direction it is possible for them to have a healthy life.
The problem behavior associated with individuals making bad food choices when presented with unhealthy food will need to be observed so that we may understand how to change this behavior as it is unhealthy and harmful to health overall. Are poor choices in different foods causing obesity? Making poor choices when it comes to food is an
Portion control is psychologically proven to lessen or limit an individual’s intake of any food. According to Dr. Katherine Appleton (2014), any given amount of food over the recommended serving size will be finished by an individual because it is considered normal to finish a plate for a meal. If the amount of food were to be changed, the amount of intake would change as well. This psychology study is based off of an individual’s perception on what is considered “a normal serving size” (Appleton, 2014). Portion control requires self discipline, but if Pam were to regulate her serving sizes, she could greatly decrease her caloric
Michael Pollan makes arguments concerning the eating habits of the average American. Pollan suggests, in spite of our cultural norms, we should simply “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
When talking about health, if people is able to visualize what is good (healthy) and what is bad for health, they will choose the option that does not harm them.
Nutrition and health have become more popular in today 's society. Our generation is becoming more and more indebted to the idea of being healthy and eating nutritious meals. However, in “The American Paradox,” by Michael Pollan he argues that our unhealthy population is preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy than their actual health. He also mentions the food industry, nutrition science and how culture affects the way we eat and make food choices. While Pollan is right about all these factor that affect our eating habits, there is more to it than that. Convenience, affordability and social influence also affects our food choices making them inadequate.
Eating the pizza instead of the salad seemed like a good idea at the time, but now one is stuck in this sloth like state hours later. It seems letting cravings control what and how to eat is not the best strategy to healthy living. Mary Maxfield, in her article “Food For Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Food” discusses her views on how people should eat. She believes people crave what their bodies need, therefore, people should eat what they crave. Maxfield claims that diet, health, and weight are not correlated with each other, and because of this, people view obesity as unhealthy, thus forcing them to distinguish “right, healthy” foods from the “wrong, unhealthy” choices. As a result, she concludes that science has nothing to do with
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
Although most food choose their meals based on taste/moods, it is important to look at the nutrition of what one is consuming as there can be many health risks. Quite often people choose “good” food by what they like when it actually is not “good” at all as it lacks nutritional value. These foods sustain them hardly any time leading to higher consumptions of calories that, on most occurrences, are not burned off. This is how extra pounds add up on people which can quickly and easily, if not addressed, lead to obesity.
America is a capitalist society. It should come to a surprise when we live like this daily. We work for profit. We’ll buy either for pleasure or to sell later for profit. It should come to no surprise that our food is made the same way because we are what we eat. We are capitalist that eat a capitalist meal. So we must question our politics. Is our government system to blame for accepting and encouraging monopolies?
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
Food is a major part of everyone’s everyday life. It’s hard to imagine life without the chocolate cake on your fingers or a carne asada taco in your mouth. Enjoying delicious desserts and fast food seem extremely magnificent to eat and spend money buying them. Although, there have been many controversies in the United States on how it’s the largest country with the most obesity regarding children, which affects their health, many people are still going throughout their day snacking. Many people in America are having full course meals with thousands of calories in one sitting not knowing the short term or long term side effects that are going to take a huge toll on their lives. Food is delicious, but it comes with a secret behind the savoriness/sweetness.
Use your food records to identify triggers that cause you to feel psychological hunger. These can be people or situations. Knowing your triggers is very important because they become stronger each time you reinforce them with food. You might have to express your needs for support and encouragement from certain people more clearly and train them by offering suggestions that fit your needs. Including them in your journey can strengthen your relationship and avoid hurtful miscommunications or resentment to your
One of the reason’s why I felt my nutrition needed to changes is because nutrition is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle, the way that we eat and what foods we consume can have a huge impact on our everyday lives. Nutrition plays a huge role in multiple facets of a person’s life energy, health, skin, weight, confidence, and more making having a good control on your eating habits extremely important. How we eat over the years and what foods we routinely choose to eat can eventually have a lasting effect on use and what we consider to be most appealing and appetizing at any given moment. Having these craving and routine habits makes eating, diet, and nutrition both a behavior and a lifestyle choice that can be changed over time with help from the theories learned in this class.
“We all think we’re too smart to be tricked by packages, lighting, or plates. We might acknowledge that others could be tricked, but not us. That’s what makes mindless eating so dangerous” (Wansink 2). Unhealthy eating and the rise of obesity have become increasingly prevalent problems in the United States over the last few decades, but what often goes unnoticed is an epidemic that very well may be the cause of these issues; mindless eating. According to Weight Watchers, the term ‘mindless eating’ is defined as “eating food without paying adequate attention to what and how much is being eaten,” continuing to mention that this habit can be influenced by our surroundings and portion sizes. With the advancement of technology increasing the number of distractions, the idea that “bigger is better,” and American culture thriving in a life of convenience, snacking has become much more than a quick granola bar. Rather, it has transformed into consuming an entire bag of chips, for example, without even realizing it. Clearly, mindless eating is a significant contributor to health problems such as obesity, but what does this practice truly say about the culture in which we live? This unconscious habit may be impacting society to larger extent than many realize; hurting productivity, driving up health care costs, prolonging and even encouraging a fast paced lifestyle full of haphazard decision making.
But, food might not only sustain life, it can also give particular disease if you had the wrong selection. Knowledge about food nutrition and proper selection is too pricey to disregard. The key to have a better and healthy lifestyle is to consume a variety of foods at the right amount to meet your body’s calorie needs. Eating with a healthy meal plan will show you how much you need from each food group I gave you above to sustain your body with the daily nutrients intake that promote not only good health but longer lives. I suggest you will make your own food plan to help your fitness grooming easy to