The age of gluttonous cameras and online grocery delivery in Karachi

“Camera eats first” is a phenomenon we are all familiar with as many people take a photo of their food before eating it while many others prefer to buy groceries online in Karachi.

Food porn is an archetypal example of the sociocultural trends and changes in human behavior brought about by the surge of social media and the sort of impact digital transformation is bringing to our eating habits. There are countless benefits of tech while food remains a popular topic and interest category across the web. Several businesses are built around this fact giving audiences a vast array of food options, discovery mechanisms, knowledge bases and regular entertainment while creating innumerable jobs, businesses, platforms and new cuisines in the process. The cycle is on-going and continues to create novelties in its wake. Considering how big of a role food has had on the evolution and advancement of the human species it should not come as a surprise that our eating habits are hugely influenced by social media.

Birds of a feather flock together

A recent research by Aston University, England, uncovers how social media contributes towards defining eating patterns of consumers. It was reported that each participant in the study ate an additional 20% amount of vegetables and fruits against the perceived amount of the same foods they thought their connections on social media consumed. They ate one extra portion if their peers gave the impression that they had their 5 portions a day. This was the positive side to the communal impact however the negative flip side also came out to be true. The users on Facebook were reported to drink sugary beverages and unhealthy foods in a much greater proportion compared to healthy foods. The ratio in this case is 3 to 1, that is, for three unhealthy food portions each user ate one additional portion.

You are defined by the company you keep and the more indulgent people you surround yourself with the more likely you are to turn out like them. The aforementioned research is among the few conducted on this topic and one the forerunners providing evidence that your online peers contribute towards your food choices. People who think that others in their circle are more inclined towards healthy eating tend to move in that direction while others who perceive their online circles to be more easy-going on the matter tend to start indulging themselves. The food posts that circulate within our social circle or the general photos shared depicting health and lifestyle choices help form our perceptions.  

Our community impacts us in unimaginable ways

Some of these perceptions inform our choices at a subconscious level and we don’t even realize most of the time that we are acting as we think another person would when confronted with particular food choices. One key takeaway from these findings is that we can try and improve the general health standards in our peer groups and community by intervening in their choices as we lead by example. It is also important to note that even though the correlation between diet and social media has been illuminated by the findings, it does not shed any light on the relationship between your BMI (or body mass index) and eating habits. More studies are required on the matter to clarify these points with due attention given to the trends over time so we can deduce whether or not weight gain and general health are impacted by social media.

Life of social media activist is like a relay race

You can light the torch and pass it on to others by visiting the best online grocery store in Pakistan and getting healthy foods like veggies, fruits, lean meats, dry fruits, etc. Posting pictures of healthy foods and balanced diet plans can be considered public service in this vein and you can think of yourself as an activist. It is evident that sharing pictures of plant based foods, juices and smoothies takes precedence over those of donuts, molten lava cakes and French fries but the bigger question is what sort of a diet should you ideally go for? There is even more confusion when you confront all these hip diet plans making rounds on the internet – keto diet, low carb diet, protein diet, paleo diet, etc. Let us share an idea suggested by nutrition experts.

Ever heard of the Mediterranean diet? Well, according to experts it can help you sustain good health and live longer as the focus is on plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, olive oil, fish, nuts and nonfat dairy while it limits red meat, sweets, cheese, yogurt and eggs. The suggested benefits are numerous, like prevention of specific cancers, cardiac diseases, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and strokes. It is also said to improve eye health, fertility and brain function.

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