Since I was a child, I adopted the same diet as my family members. My mother was the
primary cook of the house, and she followed the standard American diet. An average meal in my
household would be something like chicken, potatoes and string beans or corn. Some busy days
we may even have takeout like Chinese, cheesesteaks or pizza. As one can observe, the access of
time had a great influence on what my family would eat. My mornings were pretty chaotic and
rushed so breakfast was never really “nutritious”. I would have a quick granola bar or pastry and
a Capri sun or I’d stop at a deli and pick up some chips and soda. It was most convenient for me
in terms of time and finances. I feel as though a lot of my diet was shaped by financial barriers,
lack of time management and pure ignorance.
On the contrary of my poor diet, I was extremely active in dance since the age of 6, so I
always burned the calories and had a fast metabolism. I approximately would intake 3000+
calories per day but burned it off by dancing at least twice per day as well. The only health issues
I encountered in my childhood was eczema and frequent colds. I never experienced any high
cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I personally feel as though I was lucky because a
few of my family members did develop some of these diseases including congestive heart
failure. A lot of times, Americans attribute these diseases to being hereditary when in all actuality
the food we are ingesting is hereditary, not the illnesses.
Some of my favorite foods growing up was pizza, fried chicken, pasta, seafood (fried or
baked), sausages, ribs, chips, candy and pastries. These foods were apart of my diet even during
my post active times of day. This diet did effect my overall daily energy and mood. I often found
myself with high irritability, mood swings and lack of focus. In 2017 I discovered the numerous
health documentaries surfacing and made a change. I also considered the recent passings of
family members in how I wanted to live the rest of my life. I started off with eliminating red
meat and pork. Eventually I eliminated all meat and dairy products. Once I got a consistent
routine with my diet, I noticed several positive changes in my mind, body and spirit. My eczema
went away, my menstrual cycle shortened, and my energy improved significantly, especially in
the morning. Due to this observance, I began educating my family and friends and gained a
following on the internet. This recent sense of purpose led me to pursue a higher education in
health and nutrition.
Scientifically, there are many reasons that have been discovered as to why and how food
intake can be influenced by different factors as mentioned previously such as environment,
finances and culture. Guerrieri and Jansen (2008) gathers information connecting environmental,
financial and emotional factors. It is mentioned that sweet and fatty foods are more accessible,
affordable, provide more flavor variety, and give larger portions. This can create a temptation
because the constant confrontation of these palatable foods promotes the intake of food due to
emotional reasons and not energetic.
Furthermore, there was a study done on people of the island of Fiji to analyze the social
and cultural impact of their food intake. Singh, Gurung and Carne (2020) gathered information
on different food intake factors such as: gender roles, physical environment, access, knowledge,
family support, etc. Gender roles was an important aspect to touch on as it ties into physical
environment as well. There are men in the Fiji villages that intake more amounts and higher
qualities food than the women due to their increased physical activity. Exerting more energy
gives a need for more nutrients and the people of the village encouraged the men to eat healthy
foods. Family support was another aspect. A villager stated that the community has become less
motivated to performing the physically demanding tasks to feed their families, so they are
relying on processed food now more than ever. I know culturally, my past experiences will shape
References:
1. Guerrieri R, Nederkoorn C, Jansen A. The interaction between impulsivity and a
varied food environment: Its influence on food intake and overweight. Int J Obes.
2008;32(4):708-14.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/
scholarly-journals/interaction-between-impulsivity-varied-food/docview/219172490/
se-2.doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803770.
2. Singh KN, Sendall MC, Gurung A, Carne P. Understanding socio‐cultural influences
on food intake in relation to overweight and obesity in a rural indigenous community
of Fiji Islands. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2020;32(S2):301-307.
doi:10.1002/hpja.397
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