In this food history paper, I would like to focus on a number of things. First, is the food that I consumed being a child and a teenager, and the importance of this food at that specific time. The next point of discussion will be whether the type of food I ate has changed over time. Here, I am going to highlight the reasons that made the changes to happen. Finally, I will examine my current food preferences in detail and recommend changes if necessary.

During my childhood and early adolescence, I ate most of my meals with my mother. At that time,the meals were generally planned and prepared by her. Sometomes, I would help my mom with the preparation of food, and in the process, I was able to learn some issues of food hygiene and a number of kitchen tips. One of my favorite meals as a child and a teenager was home-cooked turkey. It was prepared by most of us in the family, including dad. During the preparation, mom would assign us various tasks, such as preparing spices, among other things. Usually, we ate turkey on Thanksgiving and on Christmas. This was considered to be one of the most jovial events in my family. Another favorite meal was the cereal breakfast that I had on most mornings when I was a kid. The cereal came in boxes. The only preparation that was ever needed was the addition of milk, and I was able to do that on my own.

In my childhood and adolescence, I learnt to cook a few foods on my own. For example, I could make most pasta dishes. I could also cook scrambled and poached eggs for breakfast. I find most of these skills useful now, as being an adult I have to prepare food on my own.

The type of my food preferences has changed over time. For example, between middle school and high school, I stopped taking just cereals and milk for breakfast. I would include a cup of hot coffee as I found that this helped me stay awake. Sometimes, my mom would not approve me drinking coffee as she thought I was too young. This made the change from cereal to coffee for breakfast very gradual and not as instant as I actually wanted.

Between high school and college my diet has changed drastically. In college, there was an easy access to fast food, and often it was quite convenient for me. However, for some reasons, I feared that this change was unhealthy and, eventually, started to change back to simple home-cooked meals together with my roommate. This change happened when I found a roommate who was willing to move off campus with me as I could not afford to rent the apartment on my own. Generally, during this period I ate healthy and varied meals, some of which I had never had before. The experience was both a learning one and an adaptation one where I learnt to eat good and healthy food while on a budget.

Most of the reasons for the changes have already been explained. They include finances and health. As a college student, I was starting to become independent financially, hence needed to learn how to budget. Another reason for this change was a need to stay with a roommate. We had to accommodate each other’s food preferences as our food tastes differed. In the process, changes have occurred, and we even learnt to cook what the other person liked. Another factor that made these changes both necessary and possible was the wish to try out new things. I felt that I would need to learn how to cook and prepare detailed meals.

Currently, I have three meals a day depending on my schedule. Sometimes, I have to skip one of them if my day is too busy. However, I fully realize that food is a basic need of a person, and, hence I try my best to have all the three meals. For breakfast, I usually have two slices of bread, eggs and coffee. I like coffee because it helps me to stay alert and awake during classes and other activities that I may participate in that day. Sometimes I have cereal for breakfast, but this is rare. For lunch, I usually have slightly heavier meal, and I make sure to eat fruits and vegetables. If I am at home, I cook easy rice dishes, or pasta. If I have to eat out, I order other whole grain foods. The typical accompaniments for these are usually beans or meat. I find this a good source of protein. My supper is usually light, mostly because I like it that way, and because I am usually tired and just want some rest. As a rule I take soups, such as butternut soup, and breads of certain kinds. Sometimes, I have a snack during the day, for example, taking biscuits and tea at four in the afternoon, however, is not that common.

Currently, I am not meeting MyPlate guidelinesas I do not eat some food items from those meeting the criteria. One of the things recommended are dairy products. Also, the portions of vegetables I am currently taking may not be the exactly as the recommended ones. These issues are easy to fix, and in the coming days I will try to add the dairy products to my ration and watch the amount of vegetables I consume. However, the good points about enough proteins and carbohydrate in my diet are visible.

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Emily works as an editor at editing writing service. She directly participates in editing and supplementing interesting and unique works for any student, ensuring their correctness and relevance. Emily studied at the Faculty of Philology and holds a master's degree.