The Role of Food Essay Example for Free

The character reference of Food EssayAccording to my Nutrition through the Life Cycle textbook, feed is an essential convey for humans and provides nutrients, energy in the form of calories, and other substances that are necessary for both good wellness and growth (Brown, 2). Even though this concept is very straightforward and well accreditn among every one, it is important to record that there is more to intellectual nourishment than meets the eye. Besides its vital constituent in ensuring that the energy demands of the human frames continuous physiological processes is met, food fag be very symbolic and capable of fulfilling a large variety of mappings in an individualistics deportment. When examining the role of food in terms of the keep cycle of an individual, it is important to note that it is endlessly changing and leave alone be different based on the person. In addition to satisfying our individual(prenominal) nutrition requirements, food is capable of r evealing our individual characteristics, personal values, or even valuable information about our society as a whole. Out of the many different stages of the intent cycle, there will be three stages in qualityicular 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 individuals life.Not only is it a quantify when an individual begins to build upon the knowledge theyve acquired from toddlerhood it is a time when a large physique of friends substructure be made. This leads to one of the many roles food can inspection and repair 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 unneurotic and bring the opportunity to socially interact and stay with one another(prenominal) while consume.At t his time, children whitethorn even offer a portion of their lunch to their peers and use that moment as an opportunity to confabulation with others and establish friendships that may oddment 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 customss and heritage of their family. Parents often widen and introduce family traditions or specific items passed down from previous generations to their children which may involve food. For example, a certain quality of food or recipe (such as a special homemade cake or pie) that is substantive 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 mannequin of food, they will obtain and learn valuable information pertaining to the overall uniqueness, identity, history, and values of their own family. This information contri stilles importantly to the development of the childs person al 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 individuals 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 weft to help alleviate the stress of applying to colleges or studying for any upcoming exams that they have. Even though this order of dealing with stress isnt 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 individuals religious belief s and faith. Since most individuals at this age still live at home with their parents, most will typically continue to workout their familys 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 well(p) 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 t he life of an adult is a source of fun and entertainment. This can include a celebration for a crucial 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 estimable three course meal composing of extravagant foods may be served and conclude with the ceremonial harsh 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 system 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 scorched goods can even be shaped in unique ways. For example, at the world fam ous Boudin bakehouse 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. some other 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 assorted 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 food s 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 submit 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 small-arm 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. era 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 eatery 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.