Links between diets, food consuption and habit
Attitude is a very critical factors that needs special attention when dealing with issues of nutrition and food security. In many instances, people tend to associate certain eating habit with socio-economic levels. Experience has shown that many people who would eat vegetables, beans etc due to poverty (or lack of buying power), show more tendencies of consuming more processed food, meat, take aways and other 'junk food', once their economic status change for the better. This move is often associated with affordability and thus seen as placing someone in better economic cluster, that everyone aspire. Such tendencies are more prevalent in rural areas as well as low to medium income classes in develoing countries. Therefore any effort for promoting healthy eating, nutrition and food security should be innovative enough and provide incentives to break such entrenched patterns and stimute attitudinal change that would lead to long lasting change in behaviour.
Hlamalani Ngwenya