The selection of one food over another.
Any substances taken in by the body that provide nourishment.
The process by which the nature and meaning of gustatory stimuli are recognized and interpreted by the brain. The four basic classes of taste perception are salty, sweet, bitter, and sour.
Behavioral responses or sequences associated with eating including modes of feeding, rhythmic patterns of eating, and time intervals.
The ability to detect chemicals through gustatory receptors in the mouth, including those on the TONGUE; the PALATE; the PHARYNX; and the EPIGLOTTIS.
An order of the ANGIOSPERMS, subclass Rosidae. Its members include some of the most known ornamental and edible plants of temperate zones including roses, apples, cherries, and peaches.
Acquired or learned food preferences.
The act of making a selection among two or more alternatives, usually after a period of deliberation.
Natural recurring desire for food. Alterations may be induced by APPETITE DEPRESSANTS or APPETITE STIMULANTS.
Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal.
The mimicking of the behavior of one individual by another.
Neurons whose primary neurotransmitter is ACETYLCHOLINE.
The ability to detect scents or odors, such as the function of OLFACTORY RECEPTOR NEURONS.
The consumption of edible substances.
Behaviors associated with the ingesting of water and other liquids; includes rhythmic patterns of drinking (time intervals - onset and duration), frequency and satiety.
The minimum concentration at which taste sensitivity to a particular substance or food can be perceived.
Total number of calories taken in daily whether ingested or by parenteral routes.
The transmission and reproduction of transient images of fixed or moving objects. An electronic system of transmitting such images together with sound over a wire or through space by apparatus that converts light and sound into electrical waves and reconverts them into visible light rays and audible sound. (From Webster, 3rd ed)
Any behavior caused by or affecting another individual, usually of the same species.
The principle that items experienced together enter into a connection, so that one tends to reinstate the other.
Individual's expression of desirability or value of one course of action, outcome, or selection in contrast to others.
The production and movement of food items from point of origin to use or consumption.
A thiourea antithyroid agent. Propythiouracil inhibits the synthesis of thyroxine and inhibits the peripheral conversion of throxine to tri-iodothyronine. It is used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopeoia, 30th ed, p534)
The fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds.
A food group comprised of EDIBLE PLANTS or their parts.
Use of written, printed, or graphic materials upon or accompanying a food or its container or wrapper. The concept includes ingredients, NUTRITIONAL VALUE, directions, warnings, and other relevant information.
Measurement and evaluation of the components of substances to be taken as FOOD.
The observable response an animal makes to any situation.
A status with BODY WEIGHT that is grossly above the acceptable or desirable weight, usually due to accumulation of excess FATS in the body. The standards may vary with age, sex, genetic or cultural background. In the BODY MASS INDEX, a BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a BMI greater than 40.0 kg/m2 is considered morbidly obese (MORBID OBESITY).
The aggregate of social and cultural institutions, forms, patterns, and processes that influence the life of an individual or community.
A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable.
The selection or choice of sexual partner in animals. Often this reproductive preference is based on traits in the potential mate, such as coloration, size, or behavioral boldness. If the chosen ones are genetically different from the rejected ones, then NATURAL SELECTION is occurring.
Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.
Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory.
The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in food and food products. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms: the presence of various non-pathogenic bacteria and fungi in cheeses and wines, for example, is included in this concept.
The industry concerned with processing, preparing, preserving, distributing, and serving of foods and beverages.
The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.
Gastrointestinal disturbances, skin eruptions, or shock due to allergic reactions to allergens in food.
The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage.
Any aspect of the operations in the preparation, processing, transport, storage, packaging, wrapping, exposure for sale, service, or delivery of food.
A non-medical term defined by the lay public as a food that has little or no preservatives, which has not undergone major processing, enrichment or refinement and which may be grown without pesticides. (from Segen, The Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)
Prepared food that is ready to eat or partially prepared food that has a final preparation time of a few minutes or less.
Activities involved in ensuring the safety of FOOD including avoidance of bacterial and other contamination.
The withholding of food in a structured experimental situation.
Any food that has been supplemented with essential nutrients either in quantities that are greater than those present normally, or which are not present in the food normally. Fortified food includes also food to which various nutrients have been added to compensate for those removed by refinement or processing. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)