N AME THAT QUOTE ….. “According to Maslow, I was stuck on the second level of the pyramid, unable to feel secure in my health and therefore unable to reach for love and respect and art and whatever else, which is, utter horse*#$!: The urge to make art or contemplate philosophy does not go away when you are sick. Those urges just become transfigured by illness. Maslow's pyramid seemed to imply I was less human than other people, and most people seemed to agree with him.”

F OOD M EETING O UR N EEDS M ASLOW ’ S H IERARCHY OF N EEDS A PPLIED TO F OOD AND E ATING H ABITS

M ASLOW ’ S H IERARCHY OF N EEDS Psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow. States that people are motivated to behave in certain ways by a series of innate needs. 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.

M ASLOW ’ S P YRAMID

P HYSIOLOGICAL N EEDS 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.

O UR B ASIC N EED FOR F OOD Without food we cannot live. Americans traditionally eat three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Dinner is generally the largest meal of the day. Breakfast is often skipped by teens and adults. The average American eats 20 lbs of ice cream, 65 lbs of beef, 28 lbs of cheese, 14 lbs of cereal, 18 lbs of candy and 200 sticks of gum each year.

S AFETY 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.

F OOD S AFETY Food safety means knowing that food is available, not worrying about when one will eat next, having clean and healthy foods. 14.6% of U.S. households are food insecure. 21% of U.S. households with children are food insecure. Approximately 10 million cases of Food Borne Illness in U.S annual. Approximately 1,400 Americans die from Food Borne illnesses each year.

L OVE AND B ELONGING 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, schools, sports teams, 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.

F OOD AND S OCIETY Food plays an important role in many family and social functions: 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. Research shows that teens who eat dinner with their family 5 or more times a week are less likely to drink, smoke, use drugs or get pregnant. They also receive higher grades in school. Most Americans celebrate holidays with large family meals. Americans eat 26 million hot dogs are eaten at MLB games each year. Americans eat 17.3 quarts of popcorn each year, much of it at the movies.

E STEEM 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.

F OOD AND E STEEM Food can enhance esteem in many ways: others tell you they enjoy your cooking, having a cooking or nutrition related profession, knowing that you serve your family good foods, having a good diet and liking the way your body looks. In 2010, 1 in 5 women struggled with an eating disorder. 11% of high school students have a diagnosable eating disorder. 1 in 200 women have anorexia. 5-10% of these women will die within 10 years of diagnosis. The average annual salary of an executive chef is $70,000.

S ELF -A CTUALIZATION 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.

F OOD AND S ELF -A CTUALIZATION 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: health teacher, cooking program host, writing cookbooks or articles about nutrition, dietitian. Providing healthy foods: organic farming, hospital food service director, personal chef.

Y OUR F AMILY ’ S N EED FOR F OOD 1. What is one specific way your family’s basic need for food is met? 2. What ensures the safety of your family’s food? 3. What social activities do you participate in that include food? 4. How might food or food preparation make you feel good about yourself? 5. In what way could food help you to reach your highest potential?

F OOD AND S OCIETY 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?