| Food Myths can be Content Factor in Obesity Levels |
| Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:23 | |||
 Scranton, Pennsylvania, January 2010 – In his research, Psychology Professor Michael Oakes of The University of Scranton has shown that most people think a Snickers miniature candy bar promotes more weight gain than a large snack of cottage cheese, carrots and pears. However, the former is 47 calories, the latter 569. With New Year’s diets underway nationwide, he says it’s a good time for Americans to carefully assess what they are eating.
“The media and the food and diet industries praise certain foods and food nutrients as being healthful, while they criticize other foods and nutrients as promoters of obesity and disease,” says Oakes. “My work shows that people are influenced by these messages, and often then make food choices with higher caloric content. For example, most people would consider a banana to be more healthful than a piece of bacon, but the banana has more calories. The good versus bad message that Americans have assimilated concerning foods may be contributing to tendencies toward obesity.” Oakes points out a variety of food myths, including: • Eating sugary foods causes diabetes or hyperactivity among kids (both false) • “Healthy” fat has fewer calories than “unhealthy” fat. (they have equal calories) • Brown bread is healthier than white (not if it’s labeled “wheat,” which only means it’s colored to make it look darker, and darker is perceived as healthier). It should be labeled “whole grain” to be healthier, although that claim is exaggerated. • “Natural” in food advertisements and food packages means healthy (false). There are no regulations involving the use of the word natural. • All fruits and vegetables have high amounts of many vitamins and minerals (false). An apple has only one vitamin and no minerals that reach or surpass 10% of the recommended daily value for a 2000-calorie diet, while a potato has 11 different vitamins and minerals that reach this value. He also can discuss: • The influence of movies and other media on food perceptions • The differences between male and female food perceptions and knowledge • How nutritional messages that convey that sugar, fat, or salt are bad have led some to assume that the addition of these nutrients destroy vitamins • How the suggestion of avoiding dietary fat has backfired and contributed to weight gain and ill health • The way certain food names have acquired a reputation for promoting obesity that are not based on their nutrient profiles Oakes, who has conducted numerous food perception studies over the past decade, says he believes Americans should eat a variety of foods, check nutrient values in foods, and exercise regularly. Oakes is a lecturer in the psychology department at The University of Scranton. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, Iowa, his master’s from New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and his Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. His areas of research include knowledge about and perceptions of the healthfulness of foods and perceptions of body weight and health habits. SOURCE: University of Scranton (Visual courtesy healthmad.com)
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