The emotional context in which eating occurs is thought to influence eating patterns and nutrition, with studies finding that negative emotions predict excess caloric intake and poor diet quality. A research paper presented in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior published by Elsevier discusses how children’s unhealthy food choices, especially on weekends, are linked to emotions.
“Children are more likely to eat unhealthy foods on the weekend, when meals and snacks are less structured and controlled than on school days,” said Christine Hotaru Naya, MPH, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA . “We also focused on the choice of snacks, where children often make their own decisions.”
This study sampled 195 ethnically diverse children currently in third through sixth grades who lived in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Children used a mobile phone app and were contacted seven times a day to answer questions. When contacted, they were asked if they were stressed, angry or sad and to report whether they had made an unhealthy eating choice in the past two hours, including fried food, sweets and sugary drinks.
Among all sampled types of food, the consumption of sweet foods was most frequently reported. Children reported eating sweets or pastries at least once a day on 40% of days. Chips or fries were eaten at least once a day on nearly 30% of days, and sugar-sweetened beverages were consumed at least once a day on 25% of days.
The researchers also identified three negative mood patterns throughout the day: stable low; early increase and late decrease; and early waning and late waning. In the study, children reported stable low negative mood on 90% of the days, but the reminder varied mood throughout the day.
“We found that fried food consumption was higher on days with more variable emotional patterns than on days with consistently low negative mood,” says Naya. “These results are consistent with other studies that have found that negative mood positively predicts fatty food intake in children.” Consumption of sugary foods and carbonated beverages did not follow the same patterns in this study.
Co-author Daniel Chu, MPH, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, notes, “This study has several strengths, including the possibility of replication in the family home, and we were able to test a population of healthy children, that the results can be widely used.”
These findings add to the evidence for incorporating mood-based and emotion-based components into interventions aimed at improving children’s eating outcomes and eating behaviors. Specifically, the results highlight morning and evening as two possible vulnerable periods when a change in negative emotions could influence food choices.
“More studies are needed to understand the relationship between children’s emotions and their food choices, but this is a good start on the road to identifying how to approach food choices with a person’s mood and emotions in mind,” concludes Naya. “Our current interventions could be improved to be individually tailored to the environmental, social, emotional and cognitive contexts in which unhealthy eating occurs.”
Materials provided by Elsevier. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.
Summary: New research that has put a new spin on the concept of “stress eating” has found that people who eat during times of stress tend to seek out the foods they eat out of habit — no matter how healthy or unhealthy they are. food.
What are the factors influencing food choices?
Factors that influence our food choices To see also : The FDA warns food companies about seafood and violating import laws.
- Biological determinants such as hunger, appetite and taste.
- Economic determinants such as cost, income, availability.
- Physical determinants such as access, education, skills (eg cooking) and time.
- Social determinants such as culture, family, peers and dietary patterns.
What is the most important factor influencing food choices? One of the most important influences on an individual’s choice of food is taste, which is also influenced by the aroma and texture of food.
What are 5 factors that may influence someone’s food choices?
Some examples of these influences that contribute to an individual’s food choices include individual factors such as knowledge, personal tastes, mood, hunger level, health status, special dietary requirements, ethnicity, and personal income.
How does family influence your food choices?
Parents play an important role in children’s nutrition by providing the genes and environment for children. On the same subject : Hayes: Using seed SNAP, the stems help to close the food supply holes. For example, they influence the development of children’s preferences and eating habits by making certain foods available instead of others and acting as models of eating behavior.
How do people influence food choices? Some examples of these influences that contribute to an individual’s food choices include individual factors such as knowledge, personal tastes, mood, hunger level, health status, special dietary requirements, ethnicity, and personal income.
How does family and friends influence food choices?
The researchers found that people ate more food if they were told that their peers had eaten more. When they were told that their peers were eating healthier foods, they ate healthier. Eating is often associated with social activity, so it is logical that the people we surround ourselves with influence our eating behavior.
What is the importance of food choice?
Food choices determine consumers’ nutritional and energy intakes and consequently their risk of obesity and diet-related diseases. The factors influencing food choices are complex, varied and interrelated.
What do you mean by food choices? Food choice refers to how people decide what to buy and eat. Food choices are influenced by a complex set of factors that vary from person to person and depend on culture, heritage and upbringing. If we have to stick to a budget, we can search for a price or search for allergen information if we have a food allergy.
What is food choice theory?
When it comes to food choices, individuals are more likely to eat healthily if they perceive themselves as “health conscious” or to eat environmentally friendly foods such as organic food if they identify as “green consumers.”
What are the 6 core nutrition concepts?
Name 6 basic concepts of nutrition. These are relevance, balance, calorie control, nutrient density, moderation and variety. These are relevance, balance, calorie control, nutrient density, moderation and variety.
