OUR HUNGRY PLANET
What we eat and why we
eat it
Resources
Organoleptic
(The senses)
Advertising
Psychological
Why We
Eat
what we
eat
Food
Availability
Physiological/
Biological
Social
Traditions
Religion
Cultural
Taboos
RESOURCES
Time
Energy
Money
Facilities
Dual Income Families
Busy lifestyle of children – no more “family dinners”
Use of convenience food
Eating out more often
Poor or no attention to nutrition
More reliance on snack foods
More stress
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Behavior
Mood
Attitudes toward eating
Associated effects (status, roles, occasion)
Food is one of our primal instincts (Maslow, Freud)
Food gives comfort and emotional contact
Food means “I love you”, “Get well soon”, “We are sorry about your loss
(grief)”
Food relieves tension and boredom
Food promotes friendship
Food is for sharing
Food is associated with shared experiences and memories
PHYSIOLOGICAL/BIOLOGICAL NEEDS
Energy and Nutrient requirements
Health needs
Life cycle adaptations
Medicinal Foods
Diet Fads
Hunger is a basic function, body craves food to satisfy
the appetite
Regulated by the hypothalamus in the brain
When blood sugar is low, body craves sweet things
Body systems are fueled by CALORIES and are
influenced by the METABOLIC RATE or METABOLISM
Nutritional needs change over the lifespan – ex: calcium
requirements for babies, toddlers, adolescents, women
over 50, etc.
Chinese medicine and Atharvedic medicines of India rely
on foods, herbs and spices
The US is obsessed with “diets” and current “health
foods”. Ex. Coconut Oil
SOCIAL
Parent’s food choices
Holidays and Celebrations
Social status – economic vs. cultural capital
Regional variations
Food used at most gatherings to foster togetherness and
group identity – who brings the snack for preschool, girl
scouts. Food used as fund raisers ex: booster clubs
Food is important in business relationships – company
dinners, “boss for dinner”, “power lunch”
Food as communication
RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Food and religion
Christianity
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
Moslem
Societies differ in what they define as
edible and inedible
Social grouping defines what food you
may eat and where you eat it
Religious habits – ex: Jewish holidays, hindu and buddhism = vegetarianism,
fasting
Traditions – Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, Passover, Eid
Ethnic group – areas of the world associated with different types of foods – PA
German, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian
Integration – as culture becomes assimilated foods pass into general population
FOOD AVAILABILITY
Climate
Geography
Agriculture – advanced/subsistent
Global domination and exploration
Economic – First vs. Third World
Transportation
Food Preservation
Geography – soil, agricultural techniques, climate
People used to eat what was locally grown – what has
changed this?
Transportation – Food costs closely track energy costs.
Bringing food to market from all over the world is
becoming increasingly expensive.
Economics – Developed (richer) nations contain 30% of
the world’s population and produce 60% of the world’s
food supply.
USA has one of the highest STANDARDS OF LIVING, but
also some of the most nutrition related health care issues,
such as DIABETES, OBESITY, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
ADVERTISING
“Big Food” advertising $$$$
Children’s Television
Consumer confusion vs. advocacy
Product Placement
TV messages (overt and obvious) encourage people to eat more snack/empty
calorie/expensive foods
Advertisers use unreliable, biased and misleading information
Food manufacturers encourage young people to eat convenience foods, fast
foods and high calorie fizzy drinks
THE SENSES
Taste – sweet, salt, bitter, sour,
spicy, “umami”
Smell
Texture
Appearance
Sound
Raw vs. cooked
FUTURE FOOD TRENDS
International travel continues to introduce new
food ideas and trends, often risking a safe food
supply
The future of agribusiness
Sustainability – using locally grown food, in
season from small growers.
Ensuring a safe food supply
Returning to old traditions
Return third world farming traditions so that
countries can provide enough to feed themselves
RESOURCES
Bernstein, W.J. A Spendid Exchange: How trade shaped the world. Atlantic
Monthly Press, 2008.
McGee, H. On Food and Cooking, Scribner, NY, 1984
Menzel, P. & D’Aluisio F. Hungry Planet: What the world eats Material World
Books and Ten Speed Press, Napa CA. 2005