Does a food label influence our diet?
Ever wondered if you can loose weight just by the sheer determination? Well new research says maybe you can.
Recent studies show that the influence of food marketing, and what we think about food, dramatically effects how our body reacts - affecting how full we feel and the hormonal response to food irrespective of how many calories actually consumed.
We would like to believe that we rely on physical and chemical signals from our digestive system to determine if we are hungry, and therefore that we should eat. The truth however, is that we also strongly rely on ‘top-down’ information such as the memory of what we have already consumed and food labelling on the packaging.
The reality is we often don’t get to see the original ingredients in meals, especially true of ready made food. Most people associate words like lean and healthy with unfulfilling or ‘I’m going to be starving in 20 minutes but will will grin and bear it’. Studies show that participants eating a ‘healthy’ chocolate protein bar actually felt more hungry after, than those eating the same bar but labelled as ‘tasty’. In fact, the association was so strong that they felt even hungrier then the group that had eaten nothing at all.
Further research:
In a study, two cohorts of people eating the same snack, with one group told that it was ‘lean, healthy and skinnylicious’ with the other told it’s ‘tasty, rich and delicious’ had different feelings of fullness after consuming the food. Despite the snack being identical in both groups, those with the ‘lean’ snack were less full and ate bigger portions later in the day compared to those in the ‘delicious’ group. This shows that the idea that something is directed towards weight loss may actually convince us that it’s less filling, make us more hungry later and in turn hinder our weight loss journey.
In a second study, before eating a meal participants in one group were asked to list everything they had eaten that day, compared to the other group who answered questions about their general thoughts and feelings. Those that listed their foods, ate 45% less than the other group, showing that a reminder of what you have already consumed impacts how much you eat dramatically.
In a third study, participants were given an omelette breakfast on two occasions. Before eating they were shown the ingredients to check for allergies. The real purpose however, was to change their expectations. They were told that in the first omelette there was 2 eggs + 30g cheese. In the second, 4 eggs + 60g cheese. In reality both omelettes were identical (3 eggs + 45g cheese), but what they read affected their appetite. After seeing the smaller ingredient list, participants ate more from the lunchtime buffet later in the day compared to when they believed they were consuming a more filling omelette.
This is not just a trick of the mind - the response goes deeper into the physical and chemical response of our bodies:
For example, consuming a shake that is listed as more calories and ‘decadent & indulgent’ vs one listed as less calories and ‘light, guilt free & sensible’ creates a different response in the hormone Ghrelin, known as the ‘hunger hormone’ as levels rise before we eat and drop straight after. Those consuming the indulgent shake had ghrelin levels dropping after finishing it, in line with what happens after you eat a filling meal. Those eating the sensible shake however, had almost no change at all in their ghrelin levels - signalling to them that they are still hungry. Other studies have shown similar effects on GLP-1, another hormone that, together with gherkin, directly affects our hypothalamus - the area of the brain responsible for our bodies energy intake and expenditure.
Physically, if you believe a drink/meal to be more filling and dense, it will take longer to travel through the gut and be digested (and keeping you fuller for longer), than a meal you consider to be light. Research even suggests that food labelling might go as far as influencing the way we store fat cells in our gut and how fast we burn calories.
So what to do about changing your eating mindset?
Hard as it might be to ignore, PLEASE try not to count calories. This is the hardest way to loose weight. A calorie from broccoli is not the same as a calorie from a donut. As you can see from above, even just seeing the calories listed on the menu might change how full you feel and how your body reacts to that meal.
Before eating a meal, try to take a moment to remind yourself of all the items you have already consumed that day. This will help you with portion control.
Try as often as possible to make meals yourself, and bulk up meals with as many ingredients as possible. Remember the more variety of fruit, veg and spices you add to a meal, the more you are boosting your nutrient and antioxidant intake. You are also helping feed your gut bacteria which relies on variety to be as healthy as possible.
Try to get savvy with understanding food labels. Gluten, sugar or dairy free does not equal healthy. Often when those ingredients are removed, what is used as a substitute is far worse.
Try to stick to the rule of: every meal should contain fibre, protein, complex carbs, healthy fats & a bunch of vegetables. This will help keep you full for longer, and is full of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins.
Drink water, 2L+ a day. Often we think we are hungry but we are just dehydrated!