Why labelling matters
Labelling makes a difference too. In another study, participants were asked to eat a protein bar either labelled as “tasty” or “healthy”, but both had the same nutritional contents. A third group of participants were only asked to rate the appearance of the bar.
After eating the “healthy bar” participants reported feeling less satisfied and more hungry, and went onto consume more food, even compared to those who didn’t eat the bar. This shows that health labels can reduce the expectation of experiencing pleasure, meaning foods labelled as healthy could leave us feeling less satisfied.
Labelling healthy foods to emphasize taste and enjoyment rather than health or nutrition has also been found to increase the likelihood of people enjoying those foods. Similarly, individuals who feel guilty about eating something indulgent like chocolate cake, have been found to be less successful at losing weight.
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