Asynchronous Academy

The Psychology of Eating

Suggested Duration: 1.5 Hours

"We built a food system that poisons us—and then, to keep us away from the avalanche of bad food, we decided to inject ourselves with a different potential poison, one that puts us off all food."

Johann Hari, Author of Magic Pill

Food choices are influenced by more than just hunger. Psychological, social, and physical factors can strongly affect how and why people eat.

  1. Choose ONE psychological factor from the list below:
    • Level of physical activity
    • Physical stage of development
    • Hunger and satiety cues
    • Food allergies and sensitivities
    • Hydration and nutritional needs
    • Body image
    • Peer and family influence
    • Stress
  2. Research the factor and how it can contribute to unhealthy eating.
  3. Create a list of specific real-life examples (at least 2) showing how this factor can lead to unhealthy eating habits.
  4. For each example, suggest 1–3 realistic solutions that could help someone avoid or escape that “unhealthy eating trap.”

AI Investigation

AI tools can generate ideas quickly, but they must be used thoughtfully.

Task:

  • Ask an AI chatbot (such as Gemini or Claude) the following question:

    “What are 5 ways that people use food to meet their psychological needs?”

  • Spend about 15 minutes asking follow-up questions and exploring the psychology of food and eating.

  • Take notes on the responses you receive.

💡

Reflection Tip: As you research your chosen psychological factor, think about "food noise": the constant, intrusive thoughts about eating. How does your selected factor (like stress or body image) amplify this noise, and how can practicing mindfulness or structured routines help quiet it?

Verification

AI responses are not always accurate. Let's get skeptical.

Task:

  1. Choose 3–5 claims from the chatbot’s responses that you think are most likely to be incorrect, exaggerated, or oversimplified.
  2. Verify each claim using a reliable source (for example: government health websites, hospitals, or academic health organizations).
  3. For each claim:
    • State what the AI said
    • Summarize what your trusted source says
    • Explain whether the AI’s information was accurate, partially accurate, or inaccurate

Reporting

Task:

Create a short video (30 seconds to 1 minute) designed to advise your peers about a psychological factor that affects eating.

💡

Video Recording Tip: Keep your video concise and focused on a single psychological factor. To make your advice stand out, consider using Canva's free video templates to add professional-looking titles, automated captions, or transitions.

  • Identify the Factor: Explain how your chosen psychological factor (e.g., stress, body image, peer pressure) can lead to unhealthy eating habits.
  • The Trap: Describe a common, real-life "trap" or scenario.
  • The Solution: Provide at least one realistic, practical strategy someone can use to manage the temptation or stress and maintain control.

Deliverable:

📤

Psychology of Eating Peer Video

Submit your completed 30-second to 1-minute peer advisory video using the course app submission portal.

Assessment

Pre-Submission

Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.

What to Turn In

  • 📤

    Peer Advisory Video (30s - 1 min)

💡 A Different Way to Learn

Async Academy courses are inquiry-based. There are no rote answer keys or multiple-choice worksheets here. You learn by exploring, questioning, and building projects you care about.

Because your discovery path is completely unique, you need a human sounding board. Enroll to submit your projects and get personalized video feedback from an Ontario Certified Teacher to guide your work.

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Gather and explore ideas related to healthy eating and personal food choices

  • 🎯

    Use modern technologies to investigate how psychological and social factors influence eating habits

  • 🎯

    Evaluate information by comparing AI-generated responses with reliable sources

Success Criteria

I can:

  • ✅

    Create a clear list of ideas and questions to investigate for my Healthy Eating Video assignment

    Expectations Covered: C1
  • ✅

    Use AI tools to get personalized insights into how I think about food and eating

    Expectations Covered: C1
  • ✅

    Demonstrate increased awareness of my own eating habits based on my investigation

    Expectations Covered: C1
  • ✅

    Verify AI-generated information by confirming or dismissing questionable claims using reliable sources

    Expectations Covered: C3

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Understanding Psychological Factors (Knowledge / Understanding)
How clearly does the student explain how psychological, social, or physical factors influence eating habits?
 Consistently and clearly explains how factors influence eating habits with deep insight Explains how factors influence eating habits with clear detail Partially explains how factors influence eating habits with some gaps Explains how factors influence eating habits with limited clarity
Evaluating & Verifying Information (Thinking / Inquiry)
How effectively does the student compare AI-generated responses with reliable secondary sources to verify claims?
 Demonstrates thorough, evidence-based evaluation of claims, comparing AI responses to trusted sources insightfully Demonstrates clear, evidence-based evaluation of claims, comparing AI responses to trusted sources Demonstrates partial evaluation of claims, with minor gaps in source reliability or comparison Demonstrates limited evaluation of claims or relies on unverified sources
Setting Personal Eating Solutions (Application)
How effectively does the student apply problem-solving to formulate realistic, healthy solutions to manage eating temptations?
 Develops highly realistic, practical, and specific solutions to manage eating traps Develops clear, practical solutions to manage eating traps Develops basic solutions with some effectiveness Develops limited or unrealistic solutions
Communication (Communication)
How clearly and effectively is the peer advisory video delivered?
 Communicates ideas in the video with a high degree of clarity, conciseness, and engagement Communicates ideas in the video clearly and with appropriate delivery Communicates ideas in the video with some clarity and organization Communicates ideas in the video with limited clarity
Understanding Psychological Factors (Knowledge / Understanding)
Criteria: How clearly does the student explain how psychological, social, or physical factors influence eating habits?
Level 4

Consistently and clearly explains how factors influence eating habits with deep insight

Level 3

Explains how factors influence eating habits with clear detail

Level 2

Partially explains how factors influence eating habits with some gaps

Level 1

Explains how factors influence eating habits with limited clarity

Evaluating & Verifying Information (Thinking / Inquiry)
Criteria: How effectively does the student compare AI-generated responses with reliable secondary sources to verify claims?
Level 4

Demonstrates thorough, evidence-based evaluation of claims, comparing AI responses to trusted sources insightfully

Level 3

Demonstrates clear, evidence-based evaluation of claims, comparing AI responses to trusted sources

Level 2

Demonstrates partial evaluation of claims, with minor gaps in source reliability or comparison

Level 1

Demonstrates limited evaluation of claims or relies on unverified sources

Setting Personal Eating Solutions (Application)
Criteria: How effectively does the student apply problem-solving to formulate realistic, healthy solutions to manage eating temptations?
Level 4

Develops highly realistic, practical, and specific solutions to manage eating traps

Level 3

Develops clear, practical solutions to manage eating traps

Level 2

Develops basic solutions with some effectiveness

Level 1

Develops limited or unrealistic solutions

Communication (Communication)
Criteria: How clearly and effectively is the peer advisory video delivered?
Level 4

Communicates ideas in the video with a high degree of clarity, conciseness, and engagement

Level 3

Communicates ideas in the video clearly and with appropriate delivery

Level 2

Communicates ideas in the video with some clarity and organization

Level 1

Communicates ideas in the video with limited clarity