7 Shocking Eating Habits That Reveal Your Childhood Class – Are You Missing Out?

This Thanksgiving, my family sat down to a traditional spread: sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows, canned cranberry sauce with the ridges still visible, and green bean casserole made according to the recipe on the French's fried onions can. Meanwhile, my partner was sending me photos from their family gathering, featuring heritage turkey, artisanal cranberry chutney, and roasted vegetables from their community-supported agriculture (CSA) box. The contrast was stark — same holiday, completely different food worlds.

Food, it turns out, reveals a lot about our backgrounds, our upbringing, and, ultimately, who we are. Growing up as part of a lower middle-class family in suburban Sacramento, food represented something very specific: it was fuel, comfort, and often what we could afford at the end of a paycheck. Over the years, as I’ve immersed myself in food culture and interacted with individuals from diverse economic backgrounds, I’ve noticed patterns that illustrate how our childhood experiences shape our adult relationships with food.

Habits That Reveal Our Food Backgrounds

Here are seven habits that can tell you a lot about someone’s relationship with food, often rooted in their economic background:

1) You finish everything on your plate, no matter what

The "clean plate club" was a rule in my household. My grandmother, who raised four kids on a teacher's salary, instilled in us that wasting food was nearly sinful. She often recounted stories of the Great Depression, imparting lessons on real scarcity. For those of us raised in such environments, finishing every last bite becomes a habit, even if we are full. In contrast, my partner grew up where leaving food on the plate was commonplace and acceptable. This difference reflects a scarcity mindset versus an abundance mindset — if you’re always worried about the next meal, you’re not inclined to waste a bite.

2) You judge people by what's in their shopping cart

Recently at the grocery store, I found myself behind someone purchasing organic raspberries for $12. My instinctive reaction? “Must be nice.” This judgment stems from my upbringing, where every purchase was carefully calculated, and store brands were the norm. For those who didn’t have to worry about money, food shopping was merely a routine chore, lacking the layers of calculation and anxiety that can accompany a tighter budget.

3) You treat restaurants like special occasions, not routine

For my family, dining out was a rare treat reserved for milestones like birthdays or graduations. We'd dress up, scrutinize the menu prices, and opt for water instead of soft drinks to save a few dollars. The very idea of sending back a meal was shocking to me until I was much older. For wealthier families, restaurants are an everyday affair — a convenient option when cooking is not on the agenda, allowing for a level of comfort and customization that seems foreign to those of us raised with different dining expectations.

4) Your comfort foods are highly processed and nostalgic

My partner's comfort food is their mother's coq au vin, while mine is Kraft mac and cheese from a box. This discrepancy highlights how, for families on tight budgets, processed foods often serve as affordable, reliable staples that become synonymous with comfort. After going vegan, one of my greatest challenges was reimagining comfort without those highly processed foods that had defined my childhood.

5) You have strong opinions about food waste

In my household, leftovers were always intentional. We’d plan meals to ensure we had lunch covered for days, and wasting food was seen as wasting money. My partner, on the other hand, has a more casual approach to leftovers, often discarding them after a couple of days. This difference in perspective highlights a crucial distinction between those raised in scarcity and those who haven’t had to think twice about food waste.

6) You’re skeptical of trendy or exotic foods

When I first encountered jackfruit tacos, my immediate thought was: why? In my upbringing, trying new foods often felt risky — a potential waste of money if the family didn’t like it. Wealthier individuals typically have the luxury of exploring adventurous palates, encouraged to embrace new flavors and experiences without fear of financial repercussions.

7) You associate abundance with specific “fancy” foods

Ask someone raised in a lower middle-class environment what constitutes "fancy" food, and you’ll likely hear about shrimp, fresh berries, or real maple syrup. These foods represented celebrations and significant moments. For those who grew up affluent, such foods were part of the everyday landscape, not associated with special occasions, but rather with normalcy.

These habits and perspectives, shaped by our childhood experiences, reveal insights into our relationships with food, money, and notions of abundance and scarcity. They are adaptations to economic conditions and personal histories that often linger long after circumstances change.

Recognizing these ingrained habits invites introspection. Understanding their origins does not erase them, but it empowers us to reflect on which serve us and which we may choose to let go. In this journey of self-awareness, we may find the real meal worth savoring lies in the stories behind our plates.