Food Meeting Our Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Applied to Food and Eating Habits Mrs. Krebs Period 1-9

Abraham Maslow 1908-1970 Psychologist who first proposed a hierarchical organization to human needs. All people are motivated to behave in certain ways by a series of innate needs. Theory is referred to as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”

Understanding the Pyramid Needs are built in a pyramid shape to reflect the notion that some needs need to be met before others can be addressed. A solid foundation is necessary to reach all levels of human needs.

Maslow’s Pyramid

Physiological Needs The first needs that must be met are physical in nature. Examples include the need for food, water, clothing, shelter, and sleep. If these needs are not met, human life cannot be sustained. If these needs are met, then the next level of needs must be addressed.

Safety Once physical needs are met, a person must meet their need to feel safe. Safety needs include: a protected home, secure job and income source, and good health of self and family. If these needs are not met then a person will be overly anxious and stressed and unable to meet higher needs. If these needs are met, then the next level of needs must be addressed.

Love and Belonging Once a person’s physical needs are met, and they feel safe in their environment then they need to feel they are loved and belong to groups of people. Friends, family, social groups, religious affiliation and other group membership. If this need is not met a person will suffer from depression and loneliness and will not be able to meet higher needs. If these needs are met, then the next level of needs must be addressed.

Esteem Once a person’s physical needs are met, they feel safe in their environment, and they feel they are loved and belong to groups, then they need to feel personal value and self-worth. Feeling that you are known and appreciated in your world, that you are competent at your work, and recognized by others all lead to a feeling of self-esteem. If this need is not met, than an individual feels discouraged and inferior and cannot meet higher needs. If these needs are met, then the next level of needs must be addressed.

Self-Actualization Once a person’s physical needs are met, they feel safe in their environment, they feel they are loved and belong to groups, and they feel personal value and self-worth then they can begin to strive for self-actualization. Self-actualization is the idea that one has reached their fullest potential as a human. They think and act in moral and just ways. They act unselfishly and consider the good of others when making decisions. Maslow believed few people actually reach self-actualization, but that all people should strive to reach their fullest potential.

How Food Fulfills our Needs Physiological – Without food we cannot live. Safety – knowing that food is available, not worrying about when one will eat next, having clean and healthy foods. Belong – preparing food for family & friends, eating dinner with family, snacks at meetings or sport events, going out to eat with friends, having someone make a meal for you. Esteem – others tell you they enjoy your cooking, cooking or nutrition related profession, knowing that you serve your family good foods, having a good diet and liking the way your body looks. Self-Actualization – helping others to meet their basic need for food (working at a soup kitchen, writing food stamp legislation, working for the Red Cross disaster relief efforts), educating others about healthy eating, or providing healthy foods (organic farming, cooking program, personal chef).

Your Family’s Need for Food What is one specific way your family’s basic need for food is met? What ensures the safety of your family’s food? What social activities do you participate in that include food? How might food or food preparation make you feel good about yourself? In what way could food help you to reach your highest potential?

Food fulfills human needs on both a basic and a higher level Food and Society Food fulfills human needs on both a basic and a higher level What other ways does food enter our lives? What social institutions exist because of food or rely on food as a key component? What ways do media sources provide us with information about food? What social problems or solutions exist related to foods? How have your food preferences been affected since childhood? What lessons about food have you learned from parents, grandparents, friends, or other adults?

Food and Society Presentations In your group you will prepare a brief presentation about one aspect of food and society. Each group will research a different topic. Topics should be relatively specific and tell the class about one aspect of our society as it relates to food. Presentations should be about 5 minutes long. Research should be using textbook materials, library sources, and the internet. All members of the group are expected to help research and present information. Groups should also select one recipe they would like to prepare in class that relates to their topic. Recipes will be voted upon by the class.

Use some of the statements from this slide to help you discuss your topic. Describe the aspect of society you are discussing: define the phenomena, give the mission statement of an organization, explain the problem, or describe the topic. Tell the class how this aspect of society affects their lives (or why it does not). Explain how this social issue affects families. Give examples of this issue in your life. Explain why it is important to talk about this issues. Give statistics about prevalence or depth of this issue.

Possible Topics Diabetes in adults or Childhood obesity Poverty and hunger – government programs Eating disorders or the divide between body shape of magazine models and normal adolescent shapes Television advertising and food Fast food and nutritional value How convenience foods help families (frozen dinners, ready made dishes) Impact of the Food Network on cooking trends Impact of kitchen appliances and technology on ease of cooking How food is used in movies and television How food is used during holiday celebrations How peers influence your eating habits How parents influence their children’s eating habits American’s use of health foods or diet foods Foods that our grandparents prepared, but we do not Other topics determined by group discussion