1- Food choice context

We need to eat to meet our nutritional needs, but people often make their food choices for reasons other than nutrition: 

• the availability of foods and their cost;
• the taste and appearance of foods;
• personal food likes and dislikes;
• convenience;
• religious and cultural practices and traditions;
• health and medical conditions; 
• knowledge about foods and the body’s nutritional requirements,

all are reasons why people eat the foods that they eat.

Your mission :

• Try to answer to the question : What do people's food choice depend on?
• Make a list of all the reasons why people choose the foods they eat. 
• Write down as many reasons as you can think of.
• Then group the reasons into the categories on the padlet below.

2- Dietary guidelines

• No single food contains all of the nutrients we need to be healthy.That is why we need to eat a variety of foods in sufficient amounts. A good diet will include many different foods, preferably consumed over the course of the day, and will be sufficient in quantity and quality to meet an individual’s need for food energy (calories) and other nutrients. Without adequate variety in the diet, it is possible to consume the calories we need or more calories than we need and yet still not meet our body’s needs for all nutrients or for a particular nutrient. We need to choose foods for meals and snacks that are high in nutrients but that meet the body’s need for energy (not too little, not too much). The goal of a good diet is to meet all our energy and other nutrient needs while keeping within our dietary calorie intake needs. Doing so can help lead to normal growth and development in children, better health for people of all ages and decreased risk of a number of chronic diseases that can be major health problems.

• There is no one “ideal” diet that is right for everyone. Nutritional needs are specific to each individual, but everyone needs a diet that is balanced and includes a variety of foods that supply the different kinds and amounts of nutrients they need for good health. Balance and variety in the diet means ensuring that we get enough, but not too much, of the energy and nutrients we need. It also means that we avoid excessive amounts of any one food or any food component (nutrient). With careful food selection, we can obtain all the nutrients we need, while enjoying a variety of foods, and still maintain a healthy body weight.

• Ideally, a balanced meal is achieved at every mealtime or eating occasion. Balance and variety can also be achieved in combination (meals and snacks combined) and over time (different meals in the course of the day or week). For example, a food or nutrient that may be lacking or in excess in one meal can be made up for or balanced in the next meal or snack. Eating more food (calories) than we need one day, or less than we need, can be balanced by how much or how little we eat the following day. In order to maintain balance and variety, we must understand our nutrient needs and which foods provide them and we should keep this in mind when making our food choices.

• A healthy, balanced diet can be based on local eating patterns, using locally available foods and respecting local eating customs. The foods in people’s diets around the world are very different from each other, but all good diets must be composed of a variety of different foods that provide all of the food energy and other nutrients in the amounts needed. For most people, a good meal will be based on a starchy carbohydrate food, sometimes referred to as “staple” foods, as they form the basis or main portion of the meal, and a variety of other foods (side dishes) that provide the additional protein, vitamins and minerals needed for a good, healthy diet.

• To help people choose good diets based on locally available foods, cultural practices and local health concerns, many countries have developed food guides for their populations, called “Food-based dietary guidelines” (FBDG).

Your mission:

• Draw up a pictorial summary of the nutritional recommendations in your country.
• Make a comparison with those of other partner countries.

3- Responsible food purchasing

Making good meals begins with good planning and good food shopping. When selecting foods to buy in the food store or market, it is important to keep in mind the need to select a wide variety of foods that will meet the nutritional needs of all members of the family.

The food label on packaged foods can be a useful source of information for food selection and buying. Most countries have laws regulating the information that must be provided on the label of a packaged or processed food. This information might include the name of the food, the amount of food in the package, an ingredient list, and some identifying information on the processing date, expiry date or “best by” date, batch numbers and location of the manufacturer. Additional information may include serving size, number of servings in the package and nutritional information. Some countries also regulate the nutritional or health claims that are allowed on the packaging. For example, in some countries nutritional claims that the product is “low fat” or “low sodium” must meet approved definitions. Health claims on food labels, such as “lowers cholesterol” or “lowers blood pressure” may also be regulated. Many countries restrict health claims to those that have scientific basis and have been approved by the regulatory agencies. Comparing the nutrient content and serving size of different products, if available, can help in selecting higher quality foods or making choices for special or restricted diets.

Your mission:

List in infographic form of :
- the nutrition or health claims that are allowed on food packaging in your country
- the nutritional classification of the food (if available)
- existing tools to help you choose your food (e.g. mobile application)

To go further : The french paradox

The 'French paradox' refers to the very low incidence of and mortality rates from ischaemic heart disease in France despite the fact that saturated fat intakes, serum cholesterol, blood pressure and prevalence of smoking are no lower there than elsewhere.

More information on what a Nutritional Sciences PhD think about the French Paradox

Module 7 : Impact of nutrition on human health

Module 7 : Impact of food on human health