Have you ever wondered why we eat the foods we eat?

In an ideal world, we would always choose healthy, nutrient-dense foods to give our bodies the energy, macro- and micronutrients they need, in the amounts they need. But we know that’s not how things always work out!

The first step to improving our nutrition and food choices (or any other habit, really) is to understand why we do what we do. A little bit of self-awareness can have a powerful, positive impact on our health and our lives. Knowledge is power, dahlinks!

So let’s take a look at the twelve factors that can influence our food choices:

1.What you like

One of the biggest drivers of food/meal choice (and aversion) is how it tastes. We enjoy eating foods that taste good to us, and avoid eating foods that taste bad to us. If you have too much of a sweet tooth, crave salty potato chips and prefer pizza and burgers to salads and stir fries, the good news is that we can over time train our palate to enjoy healthier food choices.

2. What you grew up eating

Our family/ethnic heritage, and the meals we grew up eating, is one of the strongest influences on our current day-to-day food choices. Whether your culinary heritage is Mediterranean or Asian, you would have been exposed to healthy and indulgent dishes. So if you are seeking to improve your food and nutrition choices, you can choose to put the healthy dishes on high rotation and save the indulgent ones for special occasions. Or you can tweak a family recipe to make it healthier but still delicious and comforting. And you can always broaden your culinary horizons by trying healthy recipes from an array of cuisines.

3. Habit

Food choice is strongly driven by habit. Think of the foods you eat every day. Do you automatically pour a coffee and reach for the cereal at breakfast? A sandwich at lunch? A cookie with your morning coffee? A chocolate bar as an afternoon treat? Somewhere along the line, these food choices became automatic - for better or worse. The good news is that food and eating habits (like any other habits) can be changed. It takes a bit of work, a bit of trial and error and a LOT of consistency, but it CAN be done!

4. What the people around you eat

Humans are social animals, who are heavily influenced by the behaviours and choices of those around them. Social customs play a huge role in the foods we choose, as do the food choices of our friends and family members. Studies have shown that our health and health-related choices are heavily influenced by the people we spend time with. The good news is that we can be aware of this influence and consciously make better choices. We can even open up conversations about our desire to make better food choices, or even choose to be the healthy influence on our friends and family.

5. What is available

We can’t buy what isn’t available to us. And the flip side of this is that we are more likely to eat the foods that are right under our noses. There has been some fascinating research into the impact of our food environment and food availability on our food choices (and our health). Studies show that we can “nudge” ourselves (and our loved ones!) Into healthier food choices simply by making healthy foods visible and easily available (such as a fruit bowl on the counter or veggie sticks at eye level in the refrigerator) and putting the less-than-healthy foods out of sight, in hard-to-access spots, or by simply not bringing them into your house!

6. What is convenient

We are busier are more stressed than ever. Many of us work long hours, commute long distances and juggle multiple competing priorities. So of course we look for ways to save time - in our food shopping, our food preparation, and even how long we take to eat, and of course cleaning up afterwards. The big fast food chains and processed food manufacturers know aaaaaalllll about how busy, stressed and time-poor we are, and they make sure we are presented with an array of food choices to make eating their foods as fast and easy as possible. The trick for us is to work out ways to make the easy choice the healthy choice. We need to do little detective work to find ways to enjoy healthy foods without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

7. What is affordable

If I had my way, I would live off lobsters, cherries and Belgian chocolate! But as much as I love those foods, in the interests of maintaining my household budget, they are treats rather than everyday foods. Sadly, for many underprivileged people on very tight budgets, healthy fresh fruits and vegetables are just too expensive. And unfortunately, highly processed foods are often filling and cheap, even if they aren’t the healthiest choice. Whatever your budget, if you can afford to do so, prioritise fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy protein, and healthy carbs like legumes and whole grains. Leave the highly processed, sugary or deep fried stuff for occasional treats and only if there is money left over. If your budget means you have to make either/or choices when food shopping, prioritise the healthy nutrient-dense foods over highly processed empty calories!

8. Good memories

Food is so often a part of our happy memories, and we are more inclined to choose foods we have positive associations with. So if you loved it when your dad took you out for ice cream each week, or if you enjoyed your family pizza and movie night each week, you are likely to seek out these foods to connect with these happy memories. It’s a great thing to do - just be mindful, and make sure that you enjoy treat foods as treats and not in amounts that challenge you health.

9. Bad experiences

The flip side of the food-experience equation is that we can develop some very strong aversions to foods we associate with bad experiences, whether that is food poisoning, having foods forced on you as a child or even foods you ate during a particularly challenging time in your life. The quintessential example is having Brussels sprouts forced on you as a child. Childrens’ taste buds are heavily biased towards sweet tastes and they are hypersensitive to bitter tastes, so being forced to eat your sprouts as a kid can be a less-than-pleasant experience! The key here is to observe how you feel about certain foods, understand why you feel that way, and then decide if you would like to make some changes. You might find that you actually enjoy Brussels sprouts as an adult, especially if they are roasted in a little olive oil and sea salt!

10. Your emotions

I often joke that food is my drug of choice! I certainly think it is a far better coping mechanism than alcohol or illicit drugs! So as a nutritionist I don’t freak out over the occasional ice-cream-on-the-couch session while you cocoon and lick your emotional wounds. Problems really only arise when this kind of coping mechanism becomes habitual, and you regularly consume less-than-ideal foods in unhealthy amounts to numb yourself to unpleasant emotions or to address boredom. If you find yourself eating, not to satisfy physical hunger, but to numb unpleasant emotions, block out a little time to strategise some other ways of making yourself feel better, such as an exercise session, a chat with a trusted friend, or a session or two with a registered psychologist.

11. Your values

Our cultural identity, religious beliefs and the issues that matter to us can be a powerful driver of our food choices. It can feel amazing to make food choices that align with your personal beliefs. The only suggestion I would make as a nutritionist is to be aware of what you are and are not eating, how this is likely to impact your health, and make sure you don’t place your health at risk. So for a person who chooses not to eat animal products may need to have their iron and Vitamin B12 levels checked from time to time, and take supplements if necessary. A person fasting for ramadan might need to ensure they are adequately hydrated before sunrise, and avoid heavy exercise during daylight hours.

12. Your health

This is my absolute favourite reason for making food choices! I LOVE choosing foods, and creating meals for my loved ones, that are not only delicious but are nutrient dense and provide our bodies with the macro- and micronutrients we need to function at our best!

So now that you understand the twelve different factors that can influence our food choices:

Take some time to observe which of these factors are influencing you throughout your day and week, and in different situations (home, work, socialising, etc); and
Consider how you might “move the needle” just a little, in a healthier, more nutritious direction!