Food in Your Life
Chapter 5 Lesson 1
Why Do You Eat
The foods you eat are your body’s
chief source of Nutrients- substances
in food your body needs to function
properly to grow, to repair itself, and
to supply you with energy.
Your eating habits stem from both a
physical need for food, and a
psychological desire for food.
Learning to recognize the difference
between these two helps you to make
more healthful food choices.
Your Body’s Physical Need for
Food
The
The most
most basic
basic reason
reason for
for eating
eating is
is physical.
physical.
Your
Your body
body tells
tells you
you through
through hunger
hunger when
when itit
needs
needs food.
food.
HungerHunger- aa natural
natural drive
drive that
that protects
protects you
you
from
from starvation.
starvation.
When
When your
your stomach
stomach is
is empty,
empty, its
its walls
walls
contract,
contract, stimulating
stimulating nerve
nerve endings.
endings. These
These
nerve
nerve endings
endings signal
signal your
your brain
brain that
that your
your
body
body needs
needs replenishing.
replenishing. Once
Once you’ve
you’ve eaten
eaten
your
your stomach
stomach walls
walls are
are stretched
stretched and
and your
your
nerve
nerve endings
endings are
are no
no longer
longer stimulated.
stimulated.
By
By eating
eating you
you have
have satisfied
satisfied your
your physical
physical
need
need for
for food.
food.
Your Minds Desire for Food
Appetite is a learned, rather than
inborn, response. It is shaped by
factors in your environment and by
emotions.
If you have ever “made room” for
dessert or eaten in response to the
aroma of fresh-baked cookies you
have eaten in response to your
appetite. Appetite- a desire, rather
than a need, to eat.
Your Environment
There are a number of
environmental factors that
influence your food choices.
These include your cultural
heritage, your family and
social relationships, media
messages, and your
lifestyle.
Culture
Your food choices reflect the culture
you live in, as well as your ethnic
background,and your religious beliefs.
Foods you associate with picnics,
county fairs, movies, baseball games,
and birthday parties are all part of
culture.
Family and Friends
What you ate as a child, what you
learned to like and dislike, and when
you ate meals were all influenced by
your family. These influences affect
your food preferences now and will
continue throughout the rest of your
life.
As you grow older, friends friends
have more influence over both food
choices and food preferences.
Advertising
Food
Food advertisements
advertisements are
are created
created to
to make
make you
you
aware
aware of
of certain
certain foods,
foods, and
and perhaps
perhaps to
to sell
sell
you
you on
on the
the benefits.
benefits. Most
Most importantly
importantly
advertisements
advertisements can
can shape
shape food
food decisions.
decisions.
Advertisers
Advertisers spend
spend millions
millions on
on powerful
powerful
persuasion
persuasion techniques.
techniques. Ads
Ads try
try to
to persuade
persuade
you
you that
that status,
status, sex
sex appeal,
appeal, weight
weight loss,
loss, or
or
terrific
terrific appearance
appearance will
will be
be yours
yours ifif you
you buy
buy
the
the product.
product.
To
To make
make informed
informed choices,
choices, you
you need
need to
to know
know
about
about food
food and
and health.
health. Listen
Listen and
and judge
judge
messages
messages carefully.
carefully. That
That way
way you-not
you-not
advertisers
advertisers control
control what
what you
you eat.
eat.
Time and Money
Taste
Taste and
and nutrition
nutrition are
are two
two top
top factors
factors that
that
influence
influence food
food shopping
shopping decisions.
decisions. Cost
Cost and
and
convenience
convenience come
come next.
next. With
With today’s
today’s busy
busy
lifestyles
lifestyles people
people rely
rely on
on foods
foods they
they can
can cook
cook
and
and eat
eat quickly,such
quickly,such as
as microwavable
microwavable meals
meals
and
and fast
fast food.
food.
To
To stay
stay healthy,
healthy, choose
choose foods
foods that
that will
will
provide
provide you
you with
with essential
essential nutrients
nutrients that
that can
can
be
be prepared
prepared and
and eaten
eaten with
with the
the time
time you
you
have
have avaliable.
avaliable.
Never
Never skip
skip meals.
meals. Skipping
Skipping meals
meals cheats
cheats your
your
body
body of
of essential
essential nutrients
nutrients food
food provides
provides and
and
also
also slows
slows your
your metabolism.
metabolism.
Your Emotions
Many people tend to eat more
when they are bored, stressed,
frustrated, or depressed. Some
people lose their appetite when
they are bored or stressed.
Try to control your emotions so
you don’t overeat or miss out on
important nutrients your body
needs.
Your Eating Habits
Choosing
Choosing foods
foods that
that taste
taste good
good and
and provide
provide
nutrients
nutrients without
without too
too much
much fat,
fat, cholesterol,
cholesterol,
and
and sodium,
sodium, is
is one
one of
of the
the most
most healthful
healthful ways
ways
to
to reduce
reduce major
major risk
risk factors
factors for
for chronic
chronic
diseases
diseases such
such as
as obesity,
obesity, high
high blood
blood pressure,
pressure,
and
and high
high cholesterol.
cholesterol.
It’s
It’s important
important to
to remember
remember that
that appetite
appetite
continues
continues to
to be
be stimulated
stimulated for
for 10-20
10-20 minutes
minutes
after
after hunger
hunger has
has been
been satisfied.
satisfied. Learn
Learn how
how
to
to tell
tell the
the difference
difference between
between hunger
hunger and
and
appetite.
appetite.
Nutrition Throughout Your
Life
NutritionNutrition- the process by which the body
takes in and uses food.
Next
Next to
to the
the first
first year
year of
of life,
life, adolescence
adolescence is
is
the
the fastest
fastest period
period of
of growth
growth aa person
person
experiences.
experiences. For
For growth
growth and
and active
active living,
living,
the
the body
body uses
uses more
more energy
energy from
from food
food and
and
has
has higher
higher nutrient
nutrient needs
needs than
than ever
ever before.
before.
In
In spite
spite of
of this
this many
many teens
teens skip
skip meals
meals and
and
make
make poor
poor food
food choices.
choices. Think
Think about
about what
what
you’ve
you’ve eaten
eaten today.
today. Would
Would you
you describe
describe your
your
food
food choices
choices as
as healthful.
healthful.