What Are the Factors That Influence Food Choices

Do we eat what we are, or are we what we eat?

That’s the question. Our food choices aren’t just driven by hunger—they’re influenced by many other factors. How we feel, where we are, and even who we’re with all play a role in shaping what we eat.

If you’ve ever felt like your eating habits are out of your control, understanding these influences can help you make more mindful choices. 

Keep reading to discover the key factors behind your food decisions, and don’t forget to take our quiz to learn more about your relationship with food!

6 Types of Eating Habits

Understanding what eating habits you have will help you determine what factors influence your choices. Hence, before we jump to discussing what cues play a role in choosing what you eat, you should first discover your eating pattern:

Eating Pattern	Description	Main Issues	Tips to Manage
Emotional Eater	Eats based on emotions rather than hunger.	Usually connects with the food and often indulges in comfort foods when feeling sad, stressed, or bored.	Find non-food ways to cope with emotions, such as exercising, reading, texting a friend, or engaging in a hobby.
Unconscious Eater	Eats mindlessly without hunger cues.	Eats without thinking and often snacks just because food is available.	Practice mindful eating by tracking food intake and eliminating distractions while eating.
Habitual Eater	Follows a strict eating routine and may struggle when their schedule is disrupted.	Doesn’t mind eating the same food when served at the same time every day but will go off track when their routine is not followed.	Plan meals ahead of time, especially when traveling or dining out, and carry healthy snacks when needed.
Critical Eater	Has an all-or-nothing approach to dieting.	Either follows a strict diet or does the total opposite of it, leading to yo-yo dieting.	Avoid fad diets and focus on sustainable, balanced eating habits. Be flexible and allow occasional indulgences in moderation.
Sensual Eater	Loves exploring new foods and flavors.	Doesn’t care about calorie intake as long as there is a good combination of delicious foods on the table.	Be mindful of portion sizes while enjoying new foods, ensuring balance without overindulgence.
Energy Eater	Eats the exact amount of food necessary for the day.	Listens to hunger cues but may overcompensate by eating more calories than needed.	Track food intake and include protein-rich foods to maintain stable blood sugar and prolonged satiety.

Did you recognize yourself? Let us know in the comments below!

What Influences Eating Habits?

Now that you know your type of eating habits, we can discuss the factors that influence your food choices. Some people are well aware of why they choose to eat certain foods–triggered by an emotion, situation, or simply hunger–while others struggle to understand their cravings. 

We have identified three main factors that heavily influence our food choices. While these are the major triggers for eating, other factors exist, too, and play no less of a role, such as cost, accessibility, and even education.

Social Determinants 

The environment in which we eat, the people around us, and our cultural background significantly influence our food choices.

• Social Setting: Where and with whom we eat affects what we consume. For example, workplace cafeterias, school meals, and restaurant menus impact food availability and selection.

• Cultural Influences: Cultural traditions shape food choices, preparation methods, and dietary restrictions. When people move to new environments, they may adopt the eating habits of the local culture.

Physiological Needs 

The first factor that influences our food choices is undoubtedly our physiological needs. When hungry, we tend to be less picky about what we eat, but our taste can still play a crucial role in our preferences. 

• Hunger and Satiety: The body's need for energy drives food choices, with satiety (feeling full) and hunger influencing how much we eat. Protein is the most filling macronutrient, followed by fats, while carbohydrates provide the least satiety (because they tend to be burned off quickly as energy).

• Palatability: Foods that are visually, aromatically, or texturally appealing—especially those high in sugar and fat—are often preferred, regardless of their nutritional value.

• Taste: Individual taste preferences shape food choices, with a natural tendency toward sweet and/or salty flavors while avoiding bitterness.

Psychological Factors

Emotional and psychological factors often dictate our eating behaviors, sometimes even overriding physiological hunger cues. Hence, it is so important to monitor how you feel when you consume food. 

• Stress: Stress can lead to either increased or decreased food intake, depending on how stress affects your appetite. Long-term stress may result in poor dietary choices and weight gain.

• Mood: Food can influence and be influenced by either a positive or negative mood. Some people crave specific foods when feeling down, while others feel guilt or anxiety about their food choices.

• Peer Pressure & Social Media: Trends, fad diets, peer influence, and sometimes even misinformation (especially through social media like Tiktok or Instagram) can impact food choices, sometimes leading to restrictive or unhealthy eating patterns that we all know don’t work long-term.

Do You Have a Healthy Relationship with Food? Take a Quiz to Find Out! 

This quiz may help you reflect on your eating habits and attitudes toward food. Please note that this quiz is purely for informational and educational purposes only, NOT to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological issues.

You will find the answers at the end of this article.

Questions	Yes	No
1. Can you eat when you’re hungry and stop when you feel satisfied?
2. Do you stop eating because you think you "should" rather than because you feel full?
3. Do you choose foods based on what you genuinely enjoy eating?
4. Have you ever felt physically uncomfortable (weak, dizzy, tired, headaches) from under-eating or dieting?
5. Do your food choices include a mix of both "healthy" and "pleasurable" foods?
6. Do you feel the need to eat in a rigid pattern (e.g., always three meals at exact times)?
7. Do you trust that eating when hungry and stopping when full won’t lead to weight gain?
8. Do you feel guilty when you eat to the point of being uncomfortably full?
9. Are you able to balance thoughts about food, weight, and dieting with other important parts of your life (relationships, work, hobbies)?
10. Do you base your own eating choices on what you see others eating?
11. Can you leave food on your plate when you’ve eaten enough to feel satisfied, knowing you can eat it later if you want to?
12. Do you frequently pick foods primarily based on their calorie content rather than taste or nutrition?

Create Long-Lasting and Healthy Habits with Food

When losing weight, most people usually think about drastically cutting calories or avoiding certain foods. However, sometimes, it is enough to rethink your relationship with food without having to restrict yourself. Ultimately, you want to have control over your food choices–and not feeling like food is controlling you.  By building healthy habits, you can achieve your goals while reducing the risk of regaining weight once you stop dieting.

Here are some practical tips to help you feel content with your food choices:

#2 Stop Comforting Yourself with Food

Some people turn to unhealthy foods when they feel sad, unwell, bored, or simply exhausted. Pizza, chips, ice cream, and burgers are all quick sources of dopamine, so it's no wonder they are hard to resist. Junk food often becomes a way to cope with negative emotions, offering temporary comfort but no real solutions. 

That’s why it’s so important to create space between your feelings and food, which is the first step to dealing with emotional distress. Next, instead of stuffing yourself, talk to your friends or loved ones whenever you feel some unpleasant emotions.

#1 Stop Rewarding Yourself with Food

Food is a necessity for survival and not a reward for good deeds. If you’ve walked 10,000 steps, it doesn’t mean you can allow yourself to eat your favorite food. Remember that everyone deserves nourishment.

Instead of rewarding yourself with food, build a healthy reward system that doesn’t revolve around eating. A good example is going to a yoga class, having a walk in the park, getting a manicure or massage, or anything else you can think of (outside of food or alcohol). 

Answer this question to learn more about a non-food reward that might work for you: What non-food reward would truly motivate me to take action?

#3 Don’t Categorize Foods into “Good” and “Bad”

Remember that foods have no moral value. There are no “good” or “bad” food choices, so you should stop seeing pizza or any other high-calorie meal as your one-day-a-month “cheat meal.” Instead, understand that food is simply more nutritious (lower calorie, nutrient-dense foods) or less nutritious (higher calorie foods with less nutrients.) Instead, have a mindful portion of your favorite treat occasionally and plan for it into your overall nutritional intake, and you’ll never feel guilty for your choices. 

You can even include your favorite non-nutritious foods if your goal is weight loss! The key is to create a calorie deficit while staying active. As long as you eat nutritious and filling foods most of the time and enjoy your weight loss journey–nothing else matters.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are numerous factors that influence your food choices, and being hungry is just a small part of them. What you eat may also be driven by your feelings, the people around you, and even the place where you consume food. 

Your dietary preferences change with age, and you acquire a taste for foods you may have never liked before, and it’s totally okay.  But if you think you have certain triggers that provoke overeating or even undereating, it’s important to address those issues to regain control of what you eat and how.

At Strong with Sarah, we help our clients establish healthy eating habits with the option of creating personalized workout plans, whether they exercise at home or in the gym. 

Get in touch with us today and our coaches will help you achieve your weight loss goals and improve your relationship with food.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is it important to know the factors that influence the food choices we make?

  When you understand the factors that influence your food choices, you are more aware of why your body and mind want to eat certain foods. By listening to your body, you can recognize whether hunger, emotions, or habits control your diet. Then, it will be much easier to correct your eating habits and set you on the right track of your weight loss journey.

• What are the main factors that influence food choices?

  There are numerous factors that influence your food choices, but the main ones are physiological needs (e.g., hunger), psychological needs (e.g., stress), and social influences (e.g., social media, your environment, and peer pressure).

• How do emotions impact food choices?

  You might have heard of the term “emotional eating.” This is when a person eats not because of hunger cues but because of the distress one is going through. In fact, even the feeling of happiness can trigger emotional eating and make you eat more than you planned.

Results of the Quiz

✅ Mostly "Yes" Answers – You likely have a balanced and intuitive relationship with food. You listen to your body’s cues, make choices that support both nourishment and enjoyment, and don’t let food control your life.

⚠️ A Mix of "Yes" and "No" Answers – You might have some habits that lean toward food rules or emotional eating. Reflecting on your eating patterns can help you identify areas for improvement.

🚨 Mostly "No" Answers – You may have a challenging relationship with food, potentially influenced by restrictive dieting, guilt, or emotional eating. Consider speaking with a professional for guidance on developing a healthier approach.