Factors influencing what we eat

Watch Simone talk about some of the factors that influence the food we eat.

While you’re watching, reflect on the many factors that can shape our dietary patterns and the foods we choose to eat, such as our food preferences, budget and sleep patterns.

We must remember that while nutrition is a science, the way we eat can be considered a behaviour.

Even though we are learning more than ever about nutrition and how it can affect our health, knowledge alone is not the only driver behind our food choices. We know that food choices can vary each day depending on changes in our daily routines.

To eat well and improve our diet we must have knowledge of nutrition and health science, and also take into account factors that influence our behaviour as well.

Talking point

Within the Comments, consider sharing with other learners some of the factors that influence what you eat.

• If you are tired or do not sleep well, does this affect your food choices or your appetite?
• Does your budget or lack of time to cook influence the foods that you choose?

Don’t forget to contribute to the discussion by reviewing the comments made by other learners, making sure you provide constructive feedback and commentary. Remember you can also ‘Like’ comments or follow other learners throughout the course.

Managing comments

Comments on a step can be ‘filtered’ which helps you access them in a way that’s best for you. You can do this by selecting comments by ‘All comments’, ‘Bookmarked’, ‘Your comments’ or ‘Following’ from the drop-down menu in the comments section of the step. You can can also sort by ‘Newest’, ‘Oldest’ or ‘Most liked’.

You can also bookmark comments to remind yourself of certain contributions that you might wish to refer back to at a later stage.

Mentioning other learners

When replying to a comment, you can also mention other learners that are taking part in the comment thread. You can do this by entering the learner’s profile name as part of your reply. For example, @User3320607 That’s an excellent description! @User4499578 What do you think?

Please note, you can only mention others who are in the thread and cannot use the mention functionality in stand alone comments.