The Role of Food Essay Example for Free

The Role of Food Essay According to my Nutrition through the Life Cycle textbook, food is an essential need for humans and provides nutrients, energy in the form of calories, and other substances that are necessary for both good health and growth (Brown, 2). Even though this concept is very straightforward and well known among everyone, it is important to understand that there is more to food than meets the eye. Besides its vital role in ensuring that the energy demands of the human body’s continuous physiological processes is met, food can be very symbolic and capable of fulfilling a large variety of roles in an individual’s life. When examining the role of food in terms of the life cycle of an individual, it is important to note that it is always changing and will be different based on the person. In addition to satisfying our personal nutrition requirements, food is capable of revealing our individual characteristics, personal values, or even valuable information about our society as a whole. Out of the many different stages of the life cycle, there will be three stages in particular that I will be focusing on; they are: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Childhood is often one of the most fun, memorable, and enjoyable stages of an individual’s life. Not only is it a time when an individual begins to build upon the knowledge they’ve acquired from toddlerhood; it is a time when a large number of friends can be made. This leads to one of the many roles food can serve in this stage of life, which is its role in the act of establishing and maintaining friendships. One perfect example of this role in action is during lunch hour in school. When it is time for lunch at school, all of the children congregate together and have the opportunity to socially interact and bond with one another while eating. At this time, children may even offer a portion of their lunch to their peers and use that moment as an opportunity to converse with others and establish friendships that may last a lifetime. In addition to having a social role, food can serve as a learning aid for the child when it comes to defining the traditions and heritage of their family. Parents often expose and introduce family traditions or specific items passed down from previous generations to their children; which may involve food. For example, a certain type of food or recipe (such as a special homemade cake or pie) that is significant or symbolic to a family can be passed down from the parents and presented to their child. Once the child is introduced to this specific kind of food, they will obtain and learn valuable information pertaining to the overall uniqueness, identity, history, and values of their own family. This information contributes significantly to the development of the child’s personal identity in future stages of their life cycle (such as adulthood) as well as their self-worth. Adolescence can be quite a hectic (but memorable) stage in an individual’s life. Just like how the overall way of life around this time has changed, the role food plays in this part of the life cycle has as well. At this point in time, food can often be used to relieve stress or be used as an aid to cope with the challenges life brings. For example, a teenager may binge on chips, cookies, and ice cream to help alleviate the stress of applying to colleges or studying for any upcoming exams that they have. Even though this method of dealing with stress isn’t necessarily the best way, I believe it is fairly common. I know I definitely used food as a coping mechanism during my adolescent years; but I have changed my ways and no longer do so. At this stage of the life cycle, not only does food play a role in stress relief, it also can play a role in the expression an individual’s religious beliefs and faith. Since most individuals at this age still live at home with their parents, most will typically continue to practice their family’s religion and depending upon how religious they are, may even chose to follow the dietary customs or guidelines that are specific to their religion. For example, teenagers that are Jewish may consume matzo during the week of Passover. By consuming matzo during this religious holiday, the teenager showcases to others how meaningful the religion of Judaism is to them and their dedication in following its overall customs and beliefs. The last stage of life that I will be discussing is adulthood; which is a rather lengthy part of the life cycle. During this time, the overall quality of life has changed even more and an individual is now in full control of their destiny. Besides the sudden increase in the opportunities and freedom experienced by those in this stage, the number of roles food can have is now abundant. One possible role food has in the life of an adult is a source of fun and entertainment. This can include a celebration for a significant milestone or event achieved by one or more individuals (such as a birthday or marriage), eating contests, parties, and cooking shows on TV. For example, when there is a wedding reception and banquet, a full three course meal composing of extravagant foods may be served and conclude with the ceremonial cutting and consumption of a specially decorated wedding cake. The cake itself not only celebrates the marital bond between a man and a woman; it is very symbolic and a common tradition followed by most in our society. One other role food can serve in an adult is a method of expressing both creativity and artistic skill. Cooking can be viewed as a form of art due to a massive number of ways foods can be prepared or combined. Foods exhibit a large of colors, can be plated or decorated beautifully, and baked goods can even be shaped in unique ways. For example, at the world famous Boudin Bakery in San Francisco, bakers demonstrate their artistic skills by molding sourdough bread dough into the shapes of animals (such as turtles and lobsters) and baking them. Another example includes a pastry chef decorating a birthday cake by adding and shaping the frosting at certain areas of the cake to look like flowers. In my life, food serves a large number of roles with one of the biggest being the fact that it identifies both my family heritage and culture. My grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe and the Balkan region (specifically Belorussia and Serbia) and brought along with them their knowledge of the various food delicacies that are specific to their cultures. For example, my grandmother from Serbia regularly prepares and cooks traditional Serbian foods such as pita (hand-rolled dough with cheese and meat), stuffed peppers, and sarma (boiled cabbage stuffed with ground beef and rice). In fact, whenever I go back home, she always makes these foods for me to enjoy; even though it takes a lot of time to prepare them. Overall, these specific foods remind me of home, my childhood, and represent my cultural contribution and background to the diversity of our society. In my life, food also serves as a method of celebration and a reward for reaching special milestones or achieving goals. For example, when I received an acceptance letter from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado, I enjoyed a fabulous steak dinner with my family and indulged on an enormous slice of chocolate cake. I always watch what I eat and try to make healthy choices, but that day was an exception because I accomplished a major personal goal. As you can see, food serves more than just a physiological and nutritional purpose. It has roles in portraying our personal religious beliefs, culture, family backgrounds, societal traditions, bonds with others, and unique personal skills. Food can even have a psychological role in people and serve as a coping mechanism in times of great stress. While this list or possible roles is rather lengthy, it is tiny compared the possible number of roles food can have to an individual throughout their lives; especially when considering the many different stages of life. Although there may be some role overlap, the role food plays in the life of a child could be different than in another stage of life (such as adolescence and adulthood). With that in mind, the next time you are in a restaurant or eating centre, take some time to observe what people of all ages are eating and how they are acting. You will see first-hand the importance and significance of food beyond the scope of nutrition and physiology in our way of life. Works Cited: Brown, Judith E. Nutrition Basics. Nutrition Through the Life Cycle. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, CENGAGE Learning, 2011. 2-3. Print.