Characteristics of a healthy diet and factors that drive our food choices

There are several factors that are involved with our food choices. There is a very large variety of foods for us to choose from, and there are several reasons that we choose the types of foods that we choose. Some of these choices are reasons for our health, and some are simply because we like the way that they taste.

Variety, moderation, calorie control, balance and adequacy are some factors and characteristics that help us build a nutritious and healthy diet.

Taste prevails as the number one factor when it comes to food choices. If something tastes good, a person will eat it, and sometimes people will eat it no matter how good, bad, fattening, etc. it is for them, simply because they like the way that it tastes. Convenience also plays a large role in our food factors. Sometimes if we get busy, it is much more convenient to quickly stop by a fast food restaurant and order some food, rather than going home and cooking a meal.

There are many other factors which play into our food choices. Some of these factors are psychological, physical, social, and philosophical.

Besides the factors above, some other factors include:
advertising
availability
cost
emotional comfort
habit
personal preference and genetic inheritance
positive or negative associtations
region of the country
social pressure
values or beliefs
weight
nutrition and health benefits