How to Honor Your Food Preferences
How to Honor Your Food Preferences
Exercising food preferences is the behavior of choosing certain foods over others. Food preferences arise early in life and may evolve over time. There are many factors that influence food preferences such as taste, genetics, previous exposure, knowledge, mood, attitudes and beliefs. Understanding the concept of food preferences is important because they impact food choices throughout life.
Honoring food preferences means including preferred foods into a way of eating without feelings of guilt. Preferred or favorite foods might be chosen because they are meaningful culturally, or they are accessible and convenient, or they simply taste good. The many different reasons why food preferences exist are valid. Honoring food preferences may also incorporate principles of mindful or intuitive eating (and maybe mindful cooking too).
To honor food preferences, consider these questions for self-reflection:
What are my preferred foods?
What are some reasons that I like my favorite foods?
What foods make me feel healthy, happy and energized?
If cost or availability is a limiting factor, when am I able to have the preferred food?
If there is a food I don’t allow myself to have, why?
If my family doesn’t like my preferred food, is there an alternative option that everyone will eat?
What is the setting in which I enjoy preferred foods?
How can I incorporate preferred foods into my overall way of eating in an intentional way?
