Is Self-Image Reason Behind Healthy Eating?

It is correctly said, “Health Is Wealth.” Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that gives you the correct balance of nutrients you need to maintain your health such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Adequate nutrition intake is important to everyone and is an excellent way to help your body stay strong and healthy.

“Prefer salad for every season and every reason. Healthy eating is not just the food, but the art of eating. All the nutrition must be consumed in the right quantity at right intervals,” says Ranjan Agarwal, co-owner of Salad Chef.

Today consumers are looking back in time when healthier eating habits were followed. The demand for natural and herbal products has increased dramatically in the global health and wellness food market. There is an increased health consciousness and emphasis on preventive measures. Let us read how motivation, abilities and environmental opportunities play as factors determining healthy eating.

How it Motivate?

To develop an understanding and analysis of consumers’ motivation factor, perception, and preference is important for the food industry. The factors that influence motivation for food choice could be an interest in health, weights concern, sensory pleasure, ideological reasons, convenience, price, or familiarity. Numerous studies have pointed to the primary role of taste in determining the food choices of consumers. Consumers also rely on the mass media for relevant information, and the media affects their purchase decisions remarkably. The mass media are often a source of information about food, nutrition, and health, resulting in beliefs and attitudes about the healthiness of different foods. Today, when consumers make food purchasing decisions they keep in mind the health-related attributes of food. This trend led to the growth of organic food sales because organic food is believed to have a higher nutritional content. “Self-image is one of the main reasons for the motivation behind healthy eating. People have realized that good health is related to nutritious food. Today people have adopted Indian ways to stay healthy and have migrated towards our cultural roots,” says the famous chef Ranveer Brar.

Self-Focused

Self-efficacy refers to the perception of, or confidence in, one's abilities and skills to engage in certain behavior. A person who is confident and determined to cut back on the saturated fat intake will be more motivated to do so even when faced with certain barriers. Self-efficacy is strongly related to abilities and skills. Skills and abilities are dependent on practical knowledge. For example, knowledge of healthy alternatives for unhealthy choices helps to enable voluntary dietary change. Awareness of personal intake levels is another important ability-related factor. Caloric intake and expenditure are determined by specific acts, from choosing foods, portion sizes, and preparation methods, to transportation, work and leisure time physical activities, it takes a great deal of food knowledge and good arithmetic skills to monitor one's calorie intake or day-to-day energy balance. “We are focusing on bringing in cooking methods that involve less fried dishes, less sugar, and less oil. Oil-free cooking is our future goal,” shares Raj Juneja, owner of Warehouse Cafe.

Giving back to the Environment

Here, the environment does not mean trees or plants. It refers to every setting we are in daily, from our work to our home to our car. Besides that, environment can also mean any family, friends, or health challenges that affect health and wellness goals. A study suggests that family and friends can trigger good or bad eating habits. For instance, if your friends are ordering healthy food, you're more likely to do that as well, but the reverse can be true too. Rakesh Agarwal, Corporate General Manager at The Salt Kitchen & Bar sums up the article by saying “Health is the most important thing that a person should take care of. Leading a healthy lifestyle leads to happiness, success, and achievements. Start eating healthy food and add the same to your routine.”