You are what you eat

You are what you eat • Everything that you eat and drink affects how your body functions. • Your body’s needs vary at different stages of your life. • According to how you live your life, your nutritional needs vary too. Healthy choices Unhealthy choices

Know your body’s needs The connection between diet and health is clear; to grow properly and function normally, you need a complete range of nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fibre and water, as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals. Many of these nutrients are not just essential for normal functioning, they can actually improve your state of health and protect you against a number of diseases. Eating well makes you feel well, which improves your mood and enables you to cope better with stress.

Is your diet healthy? If your diet lacks any nutrients or contains too much of one thing, you will not function at an optimum level. You may also be creating future problems, e.g. there is strong evidence that eating too much animal fat can lead to cardiovascular disease, while skipping calcium-rich foods in your teens may lead to osteoporosis later in life.

Factors affecting food choices Many factors affect our choice of foods. These include: Culture Availability Nutritional awareness Sensory aspects A person’s eating habits Marketing and advertising Cost Health status

To help you remember the factors affecting food choices, think: CAN SAM Cook Healthily?

Culture Different countries have their own food culture and eat certain types of food, e.g. Italian, Chinese, French, etc. Religious beliefs have an influence on food choices, e.g. Hindus are often vegetarians, Muslims don’t eat pork, etc. Due to immigration and travel, many ethnic restaurants have opened up in Ireland. Television cookery programmes, e.g. ‘Jamie Does Italy’, have also influenced our eating habits.

Availability of food Different foods are more available at different times of the year, e.g. Brussels sprouts atChristmas, strawberries in summer, lamb in spring. Importing food, including canned and frozen food, makes food available all year round, as well as allowing us to have access to foods that are not native to Ireland, e.g. pineapples, avocados, etc. People living in rural areas may not haveaccess to all available foods and may have alimited choice.

Nutritional awareness People today tend to be quite health-conscious. People read food labels and eat foods that arehealthy. Subjects like Home Economics and SPHE, aswell as television programmes (e.g. ‘Operation Transformation’) and the internet (online blogs, etc.), make peoplemore nutritionally aware. People are becoming more aware of the importanceof having a healthy diet.

Sensory aspects The saying ‘we eat with our eyes’ is very true. The way something looks can affect whether or not we will eat it. Other factors, like smell, taste and texture, influence our food choices.

A person’s eating habits Busy lifestyles in families affect what food wechoose to eat. There has been a huge increase in the consumption of fast food andconvenience food. The type of work someone does and the hours they work influence meal times and their choice of food. Other influencing factors include a person’s leisure pursuits, their age, their religious or ethical beliefs, etc.

Marketing and advertising The ways in which food products are marketedand advertised influencewhat we choose to buy. Advertising campaigns aim to increase awareness of aproduct with a specific target marketin mind. The different advertising media used include television, radio, billboards and magazines. Marketing strategies influence our food choices with clever supermarket layouts, e.g. luxuries at eye level, special promotions and tasting sessions in supermarkets.

Cost People’s budgets have a huge influence on what foods they choose to purchase. Families from lower socio-economic backgrounds have less money available for luxury food items. People with more disposable income often tend to spend money eating out and travelling abroad, which enables them to widen their preference of different foods.

A person’s health will influence the foods they eat. Special dietary needs must be taken into consideration when choosing foods, e.g. individuals with high cholesterol will choose low-fat products. Other examples include people with diabetes or coeliac disease, who have to restrict their gluten intake. Pregnant women, older people and people recovering from illness all have to be aware of their particular health status when choosing foods. Health status

Top tips for making good food choices Be aware of nutritional advice; use the food pyramid and healthy eating guidelines to help you maintain a balanced diet, so your body gets all the nutrients required. People with special diets and health problems should follow the advice of experts, e.g. dieticians and doctors, regarding their food choices. Have a budget: bring a shopping list and stick to it. Try to establish a routine, plan ahead, cook in bulk and freeze in portions – this is healthier and considerably cheaper. Examine food labels when shopping for allergy advice, calorie contents, and avoid high-sugar, fat and salt products.

Key words for revision • Energy • Food • Growth • Heat • In season • Malnutrition • Protect • Regulate • Repair • Senses • Staple food

You are what you eat