Factors Affecting Eating Habits
Food Choices and consumption are also strongly influenced by
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Environmental Factors
People watch attractive food item in advertisements and then crave to eat even when they aren’t hungry.
Eg. Advertising
Packaging
Portion sizes
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Social factors
Eating may be initiated or prolonged by the presence others, i.e., influenced by social factors. People tend to eat more when they are eating in group as they don’t notice their intake quantity of food.
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Speed of eating
An individual tends to eat more when he eats fast and consumes lesser when he eats at a slower pace.
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Watching TV and movies
Food Consumption increases while watching TV or movies because we don’t notice the quantity of food.
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Stress
An individual eats more in stress to overcome it, especially sweet food is preferred
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Change of Season/ Weather
In winters or colder days, people prefer eating more while in summers, hot days they prefer eating less.
Consumption of liquid
In Summers – increased
Winters – Decreased
Light food is preferred in summers than winters.
As a consequence, constant monitoring and self-regulation of eating is necessary in order to eat healthy, i.e., to provide the body both qualitatively and quantitatively with the right nutrients. At the same time, eating healthily also means to be able to enjoy the rewarding aspects of food without falling prey to a loss of control over eating.
Many individuals are able to do this successfully, get some exhibit over-regulation of eating behavior resulting in underweight and malnutrition. On the other side of extreme, permanent failures of self-regulation may result in overweight and obesity. In most cases, obesity is the result of poor dietry habits-rather than compulsive eating binges- which contribute to a modest overage daily excess intake over energy expenditive.