The hidden factors that influence your daily food choices

Have you ever thought about why you choose one particular brand of chips, or why you always seem to eat tacos on Tuesdays? You might think your food choices are purely about hunger or whether something tastes good. But what we eat is often less about what we choose and more about what is offered to us. Our food habits are constantly shaped by different factors, including our culture, the companies that advertise, and the people we spend time with. These influences are so strong that they can change how and what we eat, often without us even realising it.

Understanding these outside forces is the first step toward food literacy. This important life skill can guide us towards healthier and more intentional eating.

The big influencers

Marketing 

The modern world is filled with messages about food, and the food industry works hard to make certain items appear exciting, healthy, or attractive. Companies spend huge amounts of money to advertise foods that are typically high in fat, sugar, and salt.¹ These advertisements often try to grab your attention by using humour, fun visuals, and exaggerated pleasure. They want to normalise eating these products and link them to positive feelings.¹ 

Studies back this up. Research from 2019 shows that simply seeing more food advertising for foods high in fat, salt, and sugar is associated with increased consumption of these unhealthy products.¹ In other words, the more advertisements of junk food you see, the more likely you are to eat these foods that you might otherwise skip. 

But it’s not just ads. Even the places where you buy food, such as supermarkets, corner shops, and fast-food outlets, can influence your eating habits. Sometimes, because a food is cheap, easy, or simply available on every street corner, it wins out over healthier, less convenient options. Fast-food restaurants are in nearly every town, open all hours, and typically offer inexpensive, calorie-rich meals. This kind of convenience has led many of us to consume foods rich in calories but poor in nutrients.

Online media

The digital world is another major influencer shaping food choices. On platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, influencers and vloggers regularly promote sugary drinks, processed snacks, or fad diets. These promotions are frequently woven seamlessly into everyday content, making it hard for viewers to recognise them as ads at all.⁴

Children often view these influencers as authentic and trustworthy.¹ A small study of kids (ages 8–12) found that the frequency of watching vlogs was related to children consuming more unhealthy beverages, even two years later.⁴ Eating habits formed in childhood often last well into adulthood. That’s why what “counts as dinner” for a kid can shape a lifetime of eating habits.⁵

Given this, it’s no surprise that many governments are now rethinking food advertising rules for young people. Countries such as the UK, Ireland, and Spain have taken steps to regulate marketing aimed at children. These policies have already led to a measurable drop in exposure and purchases of unhealthy food products.¹

Social and emotional influences 

Our closest relationships often have the greatest influence on what we eat. At home, decisions about meals involve much more than just nutrition. Parents and caregivers have to juggle budgets, meal preparation time, and worry about whether family members (especially kids) will actually eat what’s served.

That’s why convenience foods, like frozen meals or ready-to-eat snacks, become so popular when life gets busy. They save time, reduce stress, and often feel like a safe bet when everyone is tired and hungry. Over time, these easy, affordable meals can become a regular part of family diets.

More thoughtful planning, such as creating a shopping list, meal prepping, or batch cooking on weekends, can help you avoid impulse purchases and fast, easy meals. These small habits can have a huge impact on your diet. 

Cultural traditions

Cultural background plays a huge role in what we consider “normal” to eat. For instance, in many Mediterranean countries, diets built around olive oil, local vegetables, fish, and seasonal produce are rooted in generations of tradition. These eating patterns often strike a balance between taste, health, and environmental sustainability, even if we don’t always realise it.  They also reflect deeply held food ethics.

And while not all of us grow up with a healthy diet, we can still look to the eating habits of Mediterranean and Blue Zone countries for inspiration, adopting simple eating habits that support long-term health and wellbeing.

Peer pressure

Food is rarely eaten alone, and when we’re eating with others, we often adapt to their choices. Sociological studies show that people’s food selections tend to mirror those of friends, colleagues, or family members.⁶ This can be subtle, for example, you might go for a salad, then change your mind because others are ordering burgers. This social pressure can quietly steer you away from what you truly want to eat.⁶ 

Social pressure becomes even more powerful when combined with emotional triggers. Sometimes, the meals we eat aren’t about hunger; they’re about comfort, belonging, or escape.

Emotional eating

Many of our food choices stem from emotions rather than hunger. When we’re stressed, tired or overwhelmed, we often reach for “comfort foods”, typically dishes rich in fat, salt, or sugar. These trigger the reward centres in our brain, release feel-good chemicals like dopamine, and offer temporary relief.⁷

This immediate comfort comes at a cost. Turning to unhealthy foods in times of stress can create habits that are hard to break, and may contribute to weight gain, low energy and long-term health issues. Especially if stress eating becomes the go-to whenever life gets tough.⁷

But recognising this cycle is the first step toward breaking it.

Discover more about emotional eating and how to support yourself with mindfulness here.

Understanding your choices

If you want to take real control of what you eat, you need to start seeing how external forces sway your hand. Food literacy is the ability to understand and navigate these influences.²

Working on these skills can help you make more informed decisions about what you eat. 

One way to do this is to think like a scientist. Instead of being swayed by emotion or negative feedback, focus on the nutrients in the food and its true value. This is the knowledge part of food literacy, which includes understanding and being able to distinguish between “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods.²

When we stay curious, question “too good to be true” promises, reconnect with simple cooking skills, and choose foods that genuinely support our health, we’re far more likely to make smart, confident choices. 

Question marketing claims

When you see a food label or packaging claiming “natural,” “protein-packed,” or “low-fat,” pause. Ask yourself: what does that really mean? Check the ingredient list and ask yourself what the product’s true nutritional value is.²  Learn how to find reliable nutrition information and make sense of it.

Here are some good articles to get you started on your learning journey:

• How to read food labels: your guide to better food choices

• Can you trust that ‘healthy’ label? How Europe regulates health claims on food

Diversify your information sources

Read nutrition and food-system articles from reputable outlets, follow independent food educators or dietitians, and don’t rely on flashy social media posts. Getting information from different angles helps keep you grounded and less prone to trendy fads.

Develop practical skills

Practice cooking simple meals, experiment with seasonal produce, try batch cooking, or plan your meals for the week. Confidence in the kitchen makes it easier to choose nourishing meals even when time is tight. 

Here are some articles that might help:

• Food hygiene at home: what the science says

• Easy steps for weekly meal planning

• Budget batch cooking made easy: a beginner’s guide

Speak up about food choices

If you’re eating with friends or family, don’t be afraid to suggest alternatives or establish new habits. Say things like: “I’m trying to eat a bit healthier these days,” or “Let’s do more home-cooked meals this week.” You might be surprised how ready others are to follow your lead.

Emphasise balance, not perfection

The food that ends up on your plate is rarely just about hunger or craving. More often, it’s shaped by marketing, supermarkets, online influencers, social pressure, cultural traditions and even by our own emotions.

Owning your food choices

Recognising these hidden influences is the first step toward being in control over what we eat. By building food literacy, we give ourselves a chance to make thoughtful and considered choices. 

There is no single “right” way to eat. What matters is making choices that feel good for your body, your mind, and your values. When you understand what drives your decisions, you can choose the right foods for you.