Influential Food Factors

Today I’m hungry for choices.

A topic in my nutrition course addresses the factors that influence our food choices. I’ve discussed my food choices on the blog, primarily that after years of being a conscious eater with sensitive digestion, I choose foods that agree with my body. I took some time to consider other factors that contribute to my food choices, whether at a restaurant or buying groceries to cook at home.

Some factors that influence me:

• habits – While cruising the aisles of Whole Foods, I’m often on autopilot, filling my basket with the same staple items I purchase on a regular basis. I walk straight to the bananas, then the Jazz apples and the other seasonal fruit. A couple avocados and lemons or limes, spinach and a bell pepper. Then on to cereal, almond milk and nut butter. Next is beans, chickpeas and lentils. Maybe some chips or pita and salsa. A dash through the bulk section for whole grains or raw nuts and I’m outta there. Habitual behavior at its finest.

• knowledge of nutrition – The more I learn about nutrition, specifically the ingredients in packaged foods and which foods work for me to fuel my workouts, the more influenced I am in my food choices. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything with hydrogenated oil listed as an ingredient and I don’t use any artificial sweeteners. Why? Because I’ve educated myself on the implications and hazards of ingesting these unnatural ingredients. I can compare it to smoking. When something is proven hazardous for health and efficient organ function, I don’t know how to shut my eyes or look the other way. I could get into the topic of meat but I’ll leave that for another post.

• availability – This was definitely a factor while living in Belize. You can read about it in the post, Belize It Or Not. I had to make food choices based on what was available in the local grocery stores. With a limited selection to begin with, many items were overpriced and expired. Thankfully, in the United States we have an abundant selection of readily available fresh, packaged and prepared foods.

• convenience - There are times when I don’t want to drive the further distance to a favorite store or restaurant and I’ll head to the store around the corner. However, I’ve been known to go out of my way for the perfect meal or grocery run. I plan errands accordingly and try to be an efficient shopper. Thankfully, there is no shortage of great grocery stores in Dallas in addition to the impressive Dallas Farmers Market.

Other notable factors:

• childhood experiences - I grew up in a house where we ate (what I considered to be) typical meals. An example meal: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and a big glass of milk. We didn’t have dessert on the regular and I think it’s because my mom doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. I KNOW, WHAT?? All of my teeth are sweet. I’m thankful for the meals my mom prepared for our family but I am confident that my childhood experiences do not influence my choices today.

(image source)

• social interactions - There was a time when I was influenced by social interactions (college dorm freshman year…) but these days, I follow my own hunger cues and personal preferences. When I worked in an office environment, there was a break room filled with containers of processed junk food. People would ask me how I could resist the temptation to snack but I wasn’t resisting. I simply don’t enjoy those foods and would choose to bring my own snacks. Social interactions can bring about a justification to eat certain foods because “everyone is doing it” but I think it’s important to make food choices based on your own factors. And when it comes to gatherings, I always bring a dish or appetizer with me so I’m not in a position to go hungry or eat something just because it’s there.

• psychological needs - Through my recovery from disordered eating, I learned to lessen my emotional attachment to food. I say “lessen” because I don’t plan to ever eliminate all emotion from eating. That would be incredibly boring. (Gena, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist from Choosing Raw, wrote an incredibly insightful post on eating with emotion.) However, emotional eating, or not eating, is one of the influences of food choices that needs to be addressed in order to enjoy food without guilt and nourish the body without overeating. To me, psychological needs also relate to fond memories like making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving or a big pot of chili on a cold night. Good for the soul.

*Please note that I am not a doctor or a medical professional and the opinions in this post are from my own personal experiences.

Do you relate to any of these factors? Which ones? Or do you have any other factors to mention that influence your food choices?

Tagged as: food choices, influential factors, nutrition course