Food preferences of males and females.

Food preferences may be dominated by internal controls (i.e. true sex differences) or by external factors such as fashion, social tradition, custom and taboos that relate to one sex rather than the other. True sex differences should therefore be relatively constant in different communities while external factors may differ at different times and in different communities. For example ‘slimming’ obviously affects food choice and, while it is unfashionable for women to be fat in the Western world, the reverse is true in many Eastern countries. Similarly, while some 9570 of members of UK slimming clubs today are women, it was men rather than women who ‘slimmed’ in Victorian times. One survey (British Market Research Bureau, 1969) reported that 217” of men and 43% of women ‘had ever slimmed’. Again, while beauty hints may affect the diets of women, strength, sport and muscular development might affect the preferences of men. Some authorities state that women suffer greater temptations to overeat than men because they are involved in the preparation of food, they sample their own cooking, eat leftsvers to save waste, and may eat both with the children and again with their husbands. Boredom and frustration in the home may drive women to overeat as a consolation and they are also said to be less involved in sport and therefore spend less energy in this way than men. Those who have to prepare meals may select convenience foods for reasons other than dietary preference. Finally there are two areas where women’s dietary habits might be affected whereas those of men stand aloof, namely pregnancy and motherhood. On the subject of beauty affecting dietary choice ‘The Family Oracle of Health’ in 1824 advised women to eat breakfast ‘consisting of plain biscuit (not bread), broiled beef steaks or mutton chops, underdone without any fat and half a pint of bottled ale-the genuine Scots is the best. . . . Should it be found too strong fare at the commencement, we permit instead of the ale one small breakfast-cupnot more-of good strong black tea or coffee-weak tea or coffee is always bad for the nerves as well as the complexion’. Dinner was to be taken at two o’clock ‘the same as for breakfast, no vegetables, boiled meat or made-dishes being permitted, much less fruit, sweet things or pastry.. . steak and chops must always be the chief (quoted by Burnett, 1968). One starting point is popular beliefs, old wives’ tales or anecdotal evidence. For example it is commonly held that at the end of the major meal women prefer the sweet while men prefer cheese, that Stilton is a man’s cheese, that women prefer