What’s In a Name?
I recently came across a study cited in the Journal of Consumer Research which found that dieters are more inclined to choose foods that are labeled as “healthy” foods, rather than considering the actual content of the food. Sometimes high calorie foods are chosen simply because the food is perceived to be healthy.
When half of the surveyed dieters were asked about a “salad” made with red peppers, diced tomatoes, salami, mozzarella cheese, tossed with pasta shells, dressed with a savory herb vinaigrette and served bed of fresh romaine, most responded that this would be a healthy choice. The other half of dieters in the survey were asked about the same dish with the same ingredients, but this time it was referred to as a “pasta” dish. This half responded that they would avoid it because it had pasta. The menu item, regardless of whether it was called a salad or pasta dish was identical and it had over 900 calories. In the dieter’s mind, pasta is a forbidden food, while the salad is a healthy food.
What’s the take away here? The names of certain foods sound virtuous or have what is often referred to as a health halo. They sound healthy, but may be laden with calories and fat. Focus on what’s in a food or restaurant meal rather than the word used to describe it. What may appear to be a seemingly harmless item could end up costing you many more calories than you think!
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