FOOD SELECTIONS

FOOD SELECTION CAN DE DEFINE AS A COMPLEX PHENOMENA OF SELECTING FOOD. FOOD SELECTION REFERS TO THE FOOD THAT A PERSON BUY AND SELECT TO EAT. 

           FACTORS EFFECTING FOOD SELECTION:

FOOD SELECTION IS CONSIDERED AS THE COMPLEX THING IN DIET WHICH EFFECTS BY MOST OF THE FACTORS INCLUDE A PERSON BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES, CULTURE, TRADITION, FAMILY, COST OF THE FOOD, SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL PREFERENCES.

BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES:  

BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES OF FOOD SELECTION MEANS THAT HUMAN HAVE AN INNATE BODY WISDOM THAT GUIDES THEM TO SELECT HEALTHY FOOD NATURALLY. SOME PEOPLE ARGUED THAT DUE TO THIS SYSTEM A PERSON DO NOT REQUIRE NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION FOR ITS HEALTHY FOOD SELECTIONS.

CLARA DAVIS WORK (SELF SELECTION OF DIET EXPERIMENT)

HE STUDIED THE SPONTANEOUS FOOD CHOICES OF INFANTS. THE INFANTS OF AGES 6-11 AGES WERE WEANED BY ALLOWING THEM TO SELF SELECT THEIR ENTIRE DIETS FROM  A TOTAL OF 34 FOODS WITHOUT ADDED SALTS OR SUGARS, WHICH WERE ROTATED A FEW AT A TIME AT EACH MEAL.

DAVIS REPORTED THAT AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS CHILDRENS NUTRITIONAL HEALTH AND STATUS WERE EXCELLENT. HOWEVER, ONE SHOULD NOTED THAT ALL FOODS ARE SIMPLY PREPARED, MINIMALLY PROCESSESED AND NUTRITIOUS WHOLE FOODS SUCH AS STEAMED VEGETABLES, FRUIT JUICE, MEAT AND OATMEAL. THERE WERE NO POISONS AND NOTHING WAS ALLOWED TO EFFECT THEIR HEALTH.

SENSORY SPECIFIC SATIETY: 

HUMANS APPEAR TO HAVE A BUILD-IN-MECHANISM THAT HELPS TO ENSURE THAT THEY EAT A VARIETY OF FOODS. THROUGH THE CENTURIES PEOPLE OBTAINED THEIR NEEDED NUTRIENTS MOSTLY BY GETTING ENOUGH CALORIES.

YUDKIN WORKZ:

YUDGIN ARGUES THAT IN THE PAST PEOPLE COULD GET WHAT THEY NEEDED SIMPLY BY EATING WHAT THEY WANTED.

CULTURAL PREFERNCES:

"WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO EAT IS DETERMINED NOT ONLY BY WHAT IS AVAILABLE GEOGRAPHICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY BUT ALSO WHAT A CULTURE DICTATES IS APPROPRIATE TO EAT"(ROZIN).

THE BEST PREDICTOR OF FOOD PREFERENCES HABITS AND ATTITUDES OF ANY PARTICULAR HUMAN WOULD BE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS/HER ETHNIC GROUP RATHER THAN ANY BIOLOGICAL MEASURE ONE MIGHT IMAGINE.

ANTHROPOMOLOGIST MARGARATE MEAD ARGUED THAT TRADITIONALLY IN ALL KNOWN SOCIETIES IT WAS NOT BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM BUT TRANSMISSION OF CULTURALLY IMPOSED EATING PATTERENS THAT KEPT HUMANS ALIVE.

SOCIAL PREFERENCES:

WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO EAT IS DETERMINED LARGELY BY WHAT IS MASS PRODUCED BY FOOD COMPANIES AND AVAILABLE IN SUPERMARKET. THESE PRODUCTS ARE HIGHLYPROMOTED BY THE COMMUNICATION INSTRUMENTS OF MASS CU;LTURE e.g. TV ADVERTISEMENTS LEADING TO CONSUMERS DEMAND. THESE FOOD PRODUCTS ARE NEITHER BIOLOGICALLY NOR CULTURALLY FAMILIAR.

THIS MODEREN CULTURE EMPHASIZE CONVINIENCE OR QUICKNESS IN PREPARING OR OBTAINING FOOD. THESE COMMERCIALLY PRODUCING CONVINIENT AND QUICK FOODS ARE NOT HEALTHFUL AND NEITHER THEY ARE PRODUCED, TRANSPORTED AND PACKAGED IN THE MOST ENVIROMENTALLY SOUND MANNER. ALL THESE INFLUENCES MAKES NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION DIFFICULT.

FAMILY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS:

PEOPLE HAVE MANY BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES RELATING TO FOOD IN GENERAL AND TO SPECIFIC FOODS IN PARTICULAR. THE OPINION OF FAMILY MEMBERS AS WELL AS MORAL AND RELIGIOUS VALUES ALSO INFLUENCE FOOD CHOICES. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT ONE OF THE MAJOR INFLUENCES ON THE AQUISITION OF EATING PATTERENS BY CHILDREN IS FAMILARITY WITH GIVE N FOODS SUCH FAMILARITY IS DETERMINED BY WHAT THE FAMILY SERVES WHICH INTURN REFLECTS THE FAMILY'S CULTURAL AND OTHER BELEIFSABOUT FOOD DURING ADOLESENCE.

IN ADDITION TO FAMILY FACTORS THERE ARE MANY PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS WHICH EFFECT FOOD SELECTIONS.

COST OF THE FOOD:

NO AMOUNT OF MOTIVATION AND SKILSS WILL PUT HEALTHFUL FOOD ON THE TABLE IF MATERIAL RESOURCES ARE IN ADEQUATE FOR THE PEOPLE TO PURCHASE AND PREPARETHE FOOD. THIS NOT ONLY INCLUDE MONEY BUT ALSO TIME, LABOR AND FUEL. AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDIBILITY OF HEALTHFUL FOOD IS CRUCIAL PARTICULARLY FOR LOW INCOME AUDIENCES.

IN ADDITION THE DIETARY PATTERENS EMPHASIZE BY MARKETS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE DIETAR PATTERENS RECOMMENDED BY FOOD PYRAMID.

OUR BODY AND TODAY'S FOOD:

TECHNOLGY HAS FULLY SEPERATED THE TASTINESS OF FOODS FROM THEIR NUTRITIONAL WORTH. IN ADDITION CURRENT NOTORIOUS HAZARDS FOR ENERGY PERCEPTION ARE CREATING BY CURRENT TECHNOLOGY. 

THE ARRAY OF PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS MADE TASTY BY THE ADDITION OF FATS, SUGARS, AND SALT ARE VAST. THIS MEANS THAT BY FOLLOWING THEIR FOOD PREFERENCES EATING A VARIETY OF TASTY FOOD PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER ASSURED THAT TEY ARE HAVING A NUTRITIONALLLY RICH FOOD WHICH MEET THEIR NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS. SUCH BEHAVIOUR INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF OVERCONSUMPTION OF HIGH FAT, LOW FIBER DIETS THAT MAY PLACE PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK FOR A NUMBER OF CHRONIC DISEASES.

TAKEN TOGETHER PEOPLE DESIRE TO EAT FOODS THAT ARE TASTY AND MARKETERS DESIRE TO PUT IN THE MARKET PLACE FOODS MAKE THE TASK FOR EDUCATING FOR A HEALTHY DIET A DIFFUICULT ONE. THE FOOD THAT ARE KNOW SELLING IN MARKETS ARE HIGHLY PROCESSSED THAT ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE ARE COIMPLETLY LOST AND PEOPLE CONSUMING THESE FOODS ARE AT HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING MANY CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, OBESITY, DIABETES, CVD'S AND MANY OTHER MUL NUTRITION RELATED DISEASES. SO A PERSON MUST NEED A COMPLETE NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION SO THAT THEY CAN ITSELF SELECT A NUTRITIONAL FOOD FOR ITSELF AND MAY PREVENT ITSELF FROM THE BAD FOOD THAT WE CONSUMING.