Snacking - a cause of weight gain?

You are what you eat: personality and br...

Vending machines at every street corner, birthday cakes at work, and creamy Frappuccino’s on-the-go. We are constantly tempted by tasty energy-rich foods everywhere we go. Yet, many of us still manage to avoid gaining weight. Why is it that our waistlines respond in different ways to this ‘obesogenic’ environment? Since all eating decisions are made between our ears, it seems likely that not everyone’s brain responds the same way to food. We recently reviewed how personality relates to the way...

"Nudging" the consumer toward healthier ...

In policy making, there is a recurring demand that consumers be better educated at a young age, and more thoroughly informed about nutrition. There are frequent calls for a “transformation in the minds of consumers” – away from cheap, fatty, and sugary foods and toward nutritionally sound, healthy diets. Many political and social actors have attempted to change consumer knowledge, attitudes, and preferences in order to encourage healthier lives. Yet despite the efforts that have been made, policy measures aimed...

”Mindless” eating

Some foods and drinks can seem easier to eat than others. Have you gone to the movies and ordered the medium sized popcorn? Or the large? The chance is that whichever you took, much of it was gone before the movie started. Furthermore, independent of the size of the bucket you chose, you may feel equally as full (or not so full and eager for more!).

To eat or not to eat?

Eating behavior and body weight are determined by multiple factors including genetics and environment, which interact in different ways defining our food choice and their long-term consequences. Therefore a profound knowledge of factors influencing food choice becomes more and more relevant as it can serve as a guideline to develop treatment strategies to stop the obesity epidemic in western societies.

Why do we eat more (or less) when we fee...

Almost everyone today can relate to the terms ”comfort eating“ or ”emotional eating“. In a hectic world, the idea that people treat themselves to their favourite food in order to improve their wellbeing seems to be a compelling contributor to why obesity is on the rise. A lot of us are struggling with the daily hassles of our workplace or private lives from time to time, and if eating “comfort food” provides a quick solution to restore one’s mood, this...