What Leads to a Person's Eating Habits

Have you ever inquired what leads to a person’s eating habits? Several factors can play a role in an individual’s choice of food consumption. Important factors to consider when choosing a diet include religion, cultural background, geographical location, knowledge and family income. Although the listed factors can influence food choice it is important to remember that maintaining a healthy diet requires eating in moderation and the discipline to sustain the diet. I continuously attempt to maintain a healthy diet, however, I find myself digressing to unhealthy choices (junk food).

An individual’s cultural and family background can play an important role in food consumption. I come from a family that is accustomed to eating traditional southern home-style meals. These food consistently involve heavily greased food and fried foods. Growing up and becoming accustomed to these choices makes it difficult for me at times to delineate from unhealthy eating habits.

The food we eat can influence how an individual look and feel. It is important to know how eating healthy and unhealthy foods affects your body. “The climate of an area, determines the type of foods a culture eats. Tropical areas have fresh fruit and vegetables available most of the year, while people living farther north traditionally rely on foods that have been preserved.” The climate is a very important factor of geography that affects our eating habits. The different weather in different regions makes the produce different. As the result of the choices and selections of food that people make and eat, will vary.

The season also plays an important factor with our eating habits. People tend to choose different food between the summer and winter times. The nutritional req...

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...ctors are instilled into individuals of these groups at an early age.

Many people fail to recognize how media is often used to evoke emotional responses to lead to the consumption of various products. Instead of focusing on a balanced diet many are compelled to use dietary supplements to achieve a goal. Weight loss pills, the newest fad diet, and celebrities compel viewers to attempt a fast approach to a diet goal. Most fail to realize that there can be health risks associated with these programs. Others neglect these risks because of the powerful influence these ads have on its viewers.

A person’s diet can be shaped by many factors. My diet and selection of foods were shaped by my family. If money is an issue a diet can be shaped by what a person can afford. Overall diets are diversified and impacted on many levels by what a person perceives and reciprocates.