Food choices

Choosing food is a complex process, not just a simple idea of "oh, I want potatoes," which involves not only many internal factors, but also a broad cultural, social, and economic context. Furthermore, it is not a rational decision—emotions, attitudes, and expectations strongly influence it. When assessing the influence of the environment, the opportunities to choose healthy and affordable food are not equally available to everyone—those without such opportunities are at risk of food insecurity. Individual behaviour, although it can change suddenly and significantly (as happened during the pandemic, for example), is most often influenced by strong emotional trends in the food market. The current surge in popularity of high-protein foods, driven by the ideal of a slim and muscular body, is beginning to replace established healthy diets such as the Mediterranean diet. Currently, food choices are also strongly influenced by ecological factors. Although scientific evidence unequivocally supports a diet consisting mainly of plant-based foods as being most beneficial to human health and the planet's ecology, the digital space is flooded with advertisements for unhealthy products, and consumers are bombarded with information that undermines their health and ecological intentions.

The health of every person and the entire planet begins with the first step—the food we choose to eat. It is not a question for one branch of science alone—it requires contributions from sociology, psychology, economics, and nutrition. How do all these factors come together in the decision-making process?

The following factors are important here:

• Food (internal factors): the properties of the food itself (taste, texture, etc.).
• Food (external factors): eating environment, available information (labels, advertising), social environment (peers, colleagues, family), physical environment (food availability, choice).
• Personal factors (state): biological characteristics, physiological needs, psychological factors, habits, experience.
• Cognitive factors: rational information processing, knowledge, skills, literacy in the field of food and nutrition, attitudes, preferences and priorities, expected consequences, and personal identity.
• Sociocultural factors: cultural, economic, and political components.

In review studies, these factors are combined into a socio-ecological model. This model distinguishes between the physical food environment, the social and cultural environment, interpersonal relationships, and individual psychological and personality characteristics. This model enables us to evaluate the extent to which external factors can impact seemingly minor decisions. Furthermore, this model does not illustrate a static structure, but rather a set of constantly changing factors. For example, people with low incomes tend to live in poorer neighbourhoods where access to affordable, healthy food is relatively limited, resulting in high levels of food insecurity and significant health consequences. That is why, to change individual food choices towards healthier ones, it is essential to address both economic and social aspects, rather than focusing solely on personal cognitive deficiencies (e.g., lack of knowledge). It is also important that scientists and practitioners in all the above-mentioned areas work together.

Psychological and behavioural factors, including health, emotions, price, convenience, environment, culture, ecology, politics, marketing, and advertising, primarily influence personal food choices. Among these, price and convenience are most often cited as the most influential factors worldwide. Although taste has always been cited as the essential factor in food choices, during the pandemic, health quickly took the top spot. During the pandemic, women were more concerned about the natural composition of food, health, convenience, price, weight control, brand awareness, and ethics. At the same time, men had similar motivations, but the importance of price, weight control, brand awareness, and ethical aspects increased more for them. The researchers note that during the pandemic, there was a stronger focus on self-preservation (health, price, convenience), resulting in less attention being paid to altruistic and ecological motives.

Emotional motives often guide young people and individuals who are overweight. Currently, a new trend is emerging: aesthetic motives (growing attention to physical health, slim and muscular bodies) are leading to a sharp increase in the consumption of protein-rich foods, which is no longer the same as the pandemic trend of "healthy eating." Researchers are concerned that this new trend could lead to potential nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Scientists say that focusing solely on aesthetic health indicators can damage our overall health. It is clear that consumer education alone is not enough in this situation—when emotional needs and the desire for instant results are strong, it is important to create an environment conducive to healthy eating that allows for the development of healthy habits, rather than just providing knowledge, for example, by focusing on healthy standard choices or using behavioral nudges, and allowing us to overcome decision fatigue and emotional eating.

Studies show that eco-labels, which indicate the natural origin of food, CO2 emissions, specific label design, and colour, encourage the selection and purchase of more environmentally friendly food products. In other words, the purchasing environment can be manipulated to influence decisions. However, research also shows that this environment is not isolated from other motivations, which may still determine the final choice. The amount of information and the variety of labels cause considerable information noise, which may lead the buyer to disregard the information provided altogether.

The digital environment—a constant stream of visually appealing dishes, trendy diets, and food experiences—undoubtedly has a strong influence on what we choose to eat. The digital food environment, which constantly influences our food choices, is a particularly important factor in shaping children's eating habits and food choices. Unfortunately, there is little information here that promotes healthy eating and making the right choices. Studies show that self-regulation-based strategies are ineffective in the digital environment, where impulses for instant gratification, rather than natural hunger signals, have a strong influence.

When it comes to knowledge, we need to distinguish between knowledge about nutrition and knowledge about food. It is also important to remember that we are not operating in a context of information scarcity, but rather one of information overload. Ironically, even in a context of overload, we still have to deal with a lack of accurate and reliable information when we need it—when choosing what to eat here and now. People think that scientists disagree with each other, that there are conflicting hypotheses and recommendations, so it is best to rely on their own (unfortunately, often unhealthy) impulses.

Key recommendations for making healthier food choices:

Take care of the environment in which you make decisions: your kitchen, refrigerator, cupboards, and drawers. Where you have no control, rely on decisions made in advance, e.g. make shopping lists, review menus in advance, and choose what you will eat.

Don't look for new revolutionary ways to achieve any eating-related goal quickly. All methods have already been well researched and established. If you're unable to figure it out on your own, consider consulting a nutritionist. There are no magic methods.

Rely on habits, not willpower and motivation.

Recent studies focusing on the topic of food choice:

1. Potter, C., Bastounis, A., Hartmann-Boyce, J., Stewart, C., Frie, K., Tudor, K., Bianchi, F., Cartwright, E., Cook, B., Rayner, M., & Jebb, S. A. (2021). The effects of environmental sustainability labels on selection, purchase, and consumption of food and drink products: A systematic review. Environment and Behavior, 53(8), 891–925. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916521995473

2. Vaccaro, C. M., Guarino, G., Danza, F., Fraulino, A., & Bracale, R. (2024). Changing food choices: the option for high-protein foods and the move away from the Mediterranean diet. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 29(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-024-01668-2

3. Poponi, S., D'Amico, M., & Bravi, S. (2020). Conceptual models of consumer food choice: A review of literature and a new proposal for healthy and sustainable food choices. Foods, 9(12), 1898. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/12/1898

Books published on this topic:

1. Brian Wansink “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think”
2. Michael Moss “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us”
3. Michael Pollan “The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals”

My name is Monika; I am a health and nutrition psychologist. I help to deal with daily and challenging questions about behaviour, thinking, and emotions. I write, give lectures, and provide psychological counselling. Book my session here: https://calendly.com/saukstasproto/psichologine-konsultacija