Food Habits

 Introduction:

The way a People or group food habits are considered in terms of what types of food are eaten, in its quality &  quantity, and when they eat food and at the same time as well as the ways people obtain, store, use, and discard food. Food habits are usually defined as the taking of two or more foods in a day. Snacks consist of a small amount of food which is taken between meals. Our popular eating pattern is three times (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) per day, with snacks between meals. 

Why people eat different in the World:

In Every culture there are both acceptable and unacceptable foods, though this is sometimes determined by whether or not religious factors or social conditions..

The reason for which the influence the food habits are different are given below:

Cultural Preferences:

Everybody  can agree that cultures are very significant. Anywhere from society views, to genetics, and even food! The eating habits of all the different cultures in the world are one of the most important changes between cultures  and nations to other cultures and nations. everywhere in the world will have different eating habits, for example, Americans eat small meals throughout the day and then indulge in a big filling meal for supper, while in Mexico, breakfast tends to be the biggest meal of the day. 

Religious Preferences:

People with strong religious beliefs are more likely to buy fat-free, sugar-free or gluten-free foods than natural or organic foods, according to new research that could influence the marketing of those specialty food products.

Social Preferences:

There is no doubt that the cost of food is a basic determinant of food choice. Whether cost is prohibitive depends fundamentally on a person's income and socio-economic status. Low-income groups have a greater tendency to consume unbalanced diets and in particular have low intakes of fruit and vegetables. However, access to more money does not automatically equate to a better quality diet but the range of foods from which one can choose should increase.

Individual Preferences:

Our physiological needs provide the basic determinants of food choice. Humans need energy and nutrients in order to survive and will respond to the feelings of hunger and satiety (satisfaction of appetite, state of no hunger between two eating occasions).So Individual Preferences of  food system is involved in controlling the balance between hunger, appetite stimulation and food intake.

Education and Knowledge

Studies indicate that the level of education can influence dietary behavior during adulthood. In contrast, nutrition knowledge and good dietary habits are not strongly correlated. This is because knowledge about health does not lead to direct action when individuals are unsure how to apply their knowledge.so information disseminated on nutrition comes from a variety of sources . In this regard, it is important to convey accurate and consistent messages through various media, on food packages and of course via health professionals.

Meal patterns:

People have many different eating occasions daily, the motivations for which will differ from one occasion to the others. Most studies investigate the factors that influence habitual food choice but it may be useful to investigate what influences food choice at different eating occasions.

Conclusion

There are many influences on food choice which provide a whole set of means to intervene into and improve people's food habits. There are also a number of barriers to dietary and lifestyle change, which vary depending on life stages and the individual or a  group of people. Solutions as well as environmental change are likely to succeed in food habit change.