(Mis)Perceptions About Healthy Eating: Effects on Food Intake and Appetite in Men and Women

In the face of an increased prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases in Canada, much effort has been invested to educate the population about healthy eating. Although Canadians are now aware of the importance of healthier food habits, rates of obesity and chronic diseases are still increasing. In addition, even if different labelling strategies are used to identify healthier foods in the market, consumers remain confused about what healthy eating should be. Might describing foods as healthy have unintended side-effects on food intake? Previous literature has shown that perceptions about the healthiness of foods may bias estimations of caloric content of foods, leading consumers to underestimate the caloric content of "healthy" food choices. Indeed, the investigators have recently shown that perceiving a food as healthy increased intake of that food by 35% in undergraduate female students. The general objective of the proposed research is to investigate whether food perceptions influence intake and appetite sensations in normal-weight and overweight/obese restrained and unrestrained males and females. This laboratory study, in which perceived healthiness and "fatteningness" of oatmeal-raisin cookies will be manipulated during an ad libitum single-meal occasion, will increase the investigators knowledge of the effects of external cues (and other psychological and physiological factors) on the control of food intake. Because the popularity and demand for nutrition information is increasing, such information is needed to improve clinical practices aiming at promoting sustainable healthy eating habits to help individuals achieve and maintain a healthy weight.