How
would you feel if we say that the idea of eating in moderation leads to healthy
nutrition is an ineffective guide for losing or maintaining weight?
A
new University of Georgia study suggests the term, 'moderation leads to healthy
nutrition' has wide range of interpretations which may make it an
ineffective guide for losing or maintaining weight.
The
more people like a food, the more forgiving their definitions of moderation
are, said the study's lead author Michelle vanDellen.
"Moderation
is a relative term. When people talk about eating in moderation, it doesn't
allow them a clear, concrete way to guide their behavior," she said.
"For
both thin and overweight people, people tend to think of moderation through
their own objective lens, and they tend to exaggerate what moderation is,"
she added.
The
study describes the relative meanings attached to moderation based on
perceptions. The findings are based on the results of different studies the
team conducted in the lab and online.
"We
asked people to tell us what they think moderation is, in terms of
quantity," said vanDellen, an expert on self-control.
"People
do think of moderation as less than overeating, so it does suggest less
consumption. But they do think of it as more than what they should eat. So
moderation is more forgiving of their current desires. ... The more you like a
food, the more of it you think you can eat in moderation," she added.
The
study adds to the growing body of literature that suggests people are poor
judges of the amounts of food they're eating.
And in terms of the rising rates of obesity, vanDellen notes a general backlash
against dieting.
She
cites the many stigmatizing features associated with judging people for being
over weight as
one possible source of this reaction. These movements are very sensitive to the
negative effects of those stigmas.
The
study has been published in journal Appetite.
Representative
Image
Source:
ANI
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