Nutrition is a significant part of human life and a strong factor on which human health relies heavily. A person’s approach to nutrition is a mixture of eating habits and preferences and one’s relationship with food on different social levels, which, essentially, forms one’s food philosophy. In this paper I will be covering my relationship with food, eventually formulating my set of rules that guide my nutrition routine.
To begin with, I should describe my relationship with food in general. I try to keep it healthy by avoiding strict limitations in terms of dietary choices as well as uncontrolled overeating. Most of the time I keep my approach to nutrition practical as a way to stay healthy and receive energy for various activities, studying included as academic success partially depends on a sufficient diet. The human brain’s functionality relies on the proper energy value of products that are being consumed. Apart from that, to perform physical activities, such as sports, efficient nutrition is of the essence.
This statement perfectly correlates with the factors which are important to me about food. While looking for products to eat, I pay special attention to their energy value and the proportion of the contents about calories. Normally, I resort to dietary choices which are considered healthy and will provide me with enough energy value to sustain my everyday routine and not result in fat formation.
As for the meals, in particular, I tend to choose a meal based on the principles stated above, since I believe that a good meal should be balanced. First of all, I make sure the components of a meal are not heavy on fat and sugar, as these aspects can strongly influence the overall calories consumption negatively. In the majority of my meals, I try to include a proportionate amount of vegetables and fruit to be able to eat the daily norm regularly. All in all, I try to keep my food reach in protein and fibers and the portions reasonable. However, once in a while I allow myself to have a treat consisting of refined carbohydrates.
When looking for food products to buy, I pay attention to several different factors. Although a global food system is recognized as harmful to the environment and, to an extent, the economy, it is not always easy to find a local shop or local food in big chain stores. Furthermore, some local food products sometimes cost more than the average price in a global supermarket (Salisbury et al., 2018). This can be considered one of the reasons why I have to resort to non-local wares.
Comparing potential items to buy, I make a note not only of the price and the quality but also the way the product is advertised on the shelf. The research shows that healthy food is more effectively advertised through single-sense advertisements which appeal to one of the following senses: visual, tactile, or olfactory (Roose, & Mulier, 2020). I do not encounter a lot of healthy food advertisements on television, and TV ads are considered multi-sense or appealing to several senses at once. This observation explains why I mostly take into account the way the product is advertised when I see it in a store, meaning that visual advertisement works best on me. It includes the design of the package and the logo of the company producing the goods. Usually, I prefer minimalistic designs, as I believe that an abundance of decorative elements distracts the consumer from the contents of the package and its quality.
Furthermore, food is a significant part of the relations within the community. In Chinese tradition, it has always been a means of including other members of the community. It can help get better acquainted with people one barely knows or even meet new people. A meal can be used as a polite invitation to a talk about an important topic, including business conversations (Ma, 2015.) However, for me, this correlates with the relationship with food within my family rather than my community on the whole. When it comes to celebrations and important events different cultures and families resort to certain dishes and food choices connected with the given occurrence. Mostly, such events are correlated with the symbolic meaning of food rather than its nutritional value (Ma, 2015). My family is not an exception to this rule, and while we try to adhere to our eating habits, our preferences are rather flexible when it comes to cultural occasions.
Speaking about my nutrition routine outside the community, I try to prevent it from affecting others as much as possible. I consider my food philosophy applicable to me but not to everyone else; therefore, I do not try to force other people to follow these rules. I also try to keep my carbon footprint about my eating habits low by avoiding food products with excess packaging.
To summarize it all, my food philosophy mostly consists of eating healthily using proper rationing and balanced meals; however, I can admit to consuming refined carbohydrates from time to time. Relationships with food within my family are similar to my practical approach, yet we do give food a symbolic meaning when it comes to celebrations. I think my “food rules” are ideal for me, but when it comes to other people, I do not force my beliefs on them.
References
Ma, G. (2015). Food, eating behavior, and culture in Chinese society. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2(4), 195-199. Web.
Roose, G, & Mulier, L. (2020). Healthy advertising coming to its senses: The effectiveness of sensory appeals in healthy food advertising. Foods, 9(1), 51. Web.
Salisbury, K., Curtis, K., Pozo, V., & Durward, C. (2018). Is local produce really more expensive? A comparison of direct market and conventional grocery produce pricing. Journal of Food Distribution Research, 49(1). Web.