'Healthy Food' Makes People Eat More: Study

In a study recently published in the preliminary issue of the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, researchers revealed that individuals who believe that they are eating "healthy" food will end up consuming more. Researchers have discovered proof supporting their theory that people associate healthy food as being less filling.

The results of the study have been presented in the infographic below.

Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin conducted a total of three studies to understand why people perceive healthy foods as being less filling and why people tend to consume more healthy foods than unhealthy foods.

Yahoo says a total of 50 volunteers were asked to answer the Implicit Association Test. This test was designed to see what the participants' beliefs and perceptions were when it came to foods that were healthy and satisfying and to see if there were connections between these two concepts.

According to Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, the first test was conducted in a large state university. The second study was conducted on the field with 40 graduate students participating.

For the second study, the participants were given a cookie. The researchers wanted to see if the hunger levels would vary whether the participants were told that the snack was healthy or unhealthy.

During the last study, a total of 72 undergraduates were asked to watch a short movie. The researchers took note of the amount of food ordered prior to the start of the film and how much food was consumed while watching the movie.

Results from the three studies reveal that branding a food as being healthy or unhealthy influences consumption. People who are told that they are consuming healthy foods end up ordering more and consuming more food to lower their hunger levels.

How the food was packaged can also affect a person's behavior. Consumers buy and consume more foods that have been labeled as healthy.

The results indicate that contrary to popular belief, labeling foods as "healthy" actually encourage people to eat more. Even individuals who do not believe in the concept end up exhibiting similar behavior as those who openly perceived healthy foods as less satisfying.

Unwittingly, the researchers discovered that the label actually contributes to the obesity epidemic, not reducing it.

The authors of the study hope that the results will help consumers make better choices when it comes to food. Consumers can use the data presented in the journal to seek more nourishing food and ignore the healthy label.