Unit 2: Food HabitsKelly K. Eichmann, MS, RD

What are some factors that influence what someone will or will not eat?

Are there any special foods you eat that some of your friends may not consume?

Are there any foods you don’t eat due to religious beliefs or other cultural reasons?

Food Choices

Personal Preference (salt, sugar, fat) Habit Ethnic Heritage or Tradition (grew up eating) Social Interaction Availability, Convenience, and Economy (RTE) Positive and Negative Associations Emotional Comfort Values (religious, political, environmental) Body Weight and Image Nutrition and Health Benefits (functional foods

and phytochemicals)

psychological drive to eat; affected by external food choices often in absence of hunger

Hunger: Appetite:

controlled by CNS

Food Intake The body decides how much and how often to

eat - when to start eating and when to stop Hunger (1)

◦ The physiological drive for food that initiates food-seeking behavior Hypothalamus

Primarily through the transmission of Neuropeptide Y.◦ Hunger can be influenced by nutrients, preceding

meal, patterns, climate (heat/cold), exercise, hormones, and physical and mental diseases

◦ After about 4 hours, most of the food has left the stomach and been absorbed by the intestine

◦ The body is adaptable to eat patterns and food choices

Food Intake Appetite (2)

◦ The integrated response to the sight, smell, thought, or taste of food that initiates or delays eating

Food Intake Satiation (3)

◦ As food enters the GI tract and hunger diminishes, satiation develops

◦ The feeling of satisfaction and fullness that occurs during a meal and halts eating. Satiation determines how much food is consumed during a meal

Food Intake Satiety (4)

◦ The feeling of satisfaction that occurs after a meal and inhibits eating until the next meal. Satiety determines how much time passes between meals

◦ Satiation = stop eating◦ Satiety = not start eating again

Food Intake Overriding Hunger and Satiety Signals

◦ Bored◦ Anxious◦ Stress◦ Time◦ Sight◦ Smell◦ Taste◦ ?

Food Intake Nutrients, Satiation, Satiety

◦ Nutrient composition of a meal makes a difference◦ Protein is the most satiating (having the power to

suppress hunger and inhibit eating)◦ Complex CHO and Fiber are effective at extending

the duration of satiety◦ Fat has a weak satiating effect

How fat influences portions

Food Intake Message Central - The Hypothalamus

◦ Control Center: integrating messages about energy intake, expenditure, and storage from other parts of the brain and from the mouth, GI tract, and liver

◦ A brain center that controls activities (maintenance of water balance, regulation of body temperature, and control of appetite)

Emotional- punishment or reward (examples)

Emotional – religious practice (examples)

Biological – superstitions (examples)

Sociological – food security, social status (examples)

Let’s discuss some cultural foods Are there differences between traditional cuisine and

those cultural foods served in the United States?

Native Americans: Deficient in calcium,

riboflavin, vitamins A and C, protein

Increased incidence of malnutrition and diabetes.

Chinese: Typically low in

protein, calcium, vitamin D

Vegetarian common Meat and milk limited Yin (cool) and Yang

(hot)

What problems with diet may arise when someone from another country moves to the United States?

Effects of money on food choices Lack of money

◦Buy cheap, less healthy foods◦Lack of transportation to get food◦Affects kind of food bought and amounts◦Usually end up buying more starchy foods

Culture & nutrition recommendations Relate nutrition education to culture and

habits of individual