Too Many Choices!

It comes as no surprise that choosing the rights can be somewhat tricky and sometimes difficult. Between the holidays and family reunions, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can be altogether frustrating. As Aunt Bessy is preparing those beautiful candied yams, you are sitting there dreaming of a moment that you can quietly dig your spoon in without anyone else catching a glimpse! And if the social gatherings weren't difficult enough, the fact of the matter is, everyone has cultural reasons, psychological reasons and physical reasons why they choose the foods they do. Sometimes it's as simple as, "My Mom always made the best mashed potatoes, therefore I will continue that tradition." For many others it's psychological in terms of always eating certain items - habitual - and thinking that if it has always been something consumed, it would be more trouble than it's worth to look for a replacement. In addition, the comfort we receive from that certain item has never failed us, so why change it now?

Whether we are adhering to cultural standing or personal preference, we all make choices in food for one reason or another. And the fact of the matter is, every one of our choices provides some type of satisfaction, otherwise why would we continue to consume those delicious McDonald's french fries?


Is it the intoxicating aroma or the fact that the media continues to splash pictures of them all over our television sets and reminds us of the convenience, low cost and of course dependability. In a study conducted in 2002, it was evident that price alone has a huge impact on whether an individual will choose the healthy option or the one that costs the least amount of money. (Horgen & Brownell, 2002)

The good news, is that habits can be broken. And although we don't necessarily want to make McDonald's our daily food choice, it's not a bad thing to enjoy the intoxicating french fries and Aunt Bessy's candied yams from time to time.

References:

Horgen, K. & Brownell, K. (2002) American Psychological Association. Retrieved September 11, 2011. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/hea/21/5/505/.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2011) Nutrition: Concepts and controversies. (12th edition) Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning