Food choices

Some of the factors that lead to food choices include region of the country, habit, personal preference, and emotional comfort (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). These factors fit together nicely, because where and how one is raised affects food preferences and habits, and when one thinks of “comfort food” it is often associated with childhood memories. For example, when my husband is sick he always wants grits. He was raised in the southeast, where grits are a very common breakfast item, and his mother would often make a pot when someone wasn’t feeling well. Many people in this region are in the habit of frying all of their foods, even vegetables, and gravy goes on anything and everything. I grew up in the northeast, so these dietary preferences are quite peculiar to me. I had scarcely heard of a deep fried vegetable before I moved down here. One of my favorite comfort foods is whole stewed okra with tomatoes and a little bit of meat (lamb or beef usually). My husband and his family had never heard of okra prepared that way, the only way I’ve ever seen it served here is cut into chunks, battered, and deep fried.

While most of the food prepared in my family was fairly healthy, with the exception of occasional dishes served on holidays or at certain times of the year, I grew up with plenty of my own unhealthy habits. While I don’t think I use food for comfort, this was a huge thing in my family. My grandmother, whom I spent a lot of time with, is Greek. If anyone has ever seen the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the mother and daughter are arguing in the kitchen and the mother stops, pulls out food, slaps it on the table and yells “EAT” that’s exactly how my grandmother was. She always had to have some kind of pastry stashed somewhere in case anyone came over, and if you didn’t overeat you got a guilt trip. “What, you didn’t like it? You’re skinny; you can afford to eat seconds”. I constantly heard that one…you’re skinny, not like us (mother, grandmother, aunt) you can eat what you want! No thought as to how one stays skinny or becomes fat whatsoever. Exercise wasn’t a part of the discussion at all; my grandmother had asthma since childhood and therefore got very little physical activity so this was the norm, especially for women. Hard work was for men. My husband’s deep fried southern family, on the other hand, were no strangers to hard work and everyone was expected to get up and get it done. Food and fitness habits are learned early and difficult to change (Koopson & Young, 2009). Therefore, it is important to start setting a good example for the next generation.

References

Koopson & Young, (2009). Integrative Health: A holistic approach for health Professional. (1 ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. 

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2012).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.).  Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.