Appetite最新文献

Texture is a central component of consumers' food experiences, often rivaling taste and aroma in importance. Although prior research has shown that emotions influence both the amount and type of food consumed, their impact on texture preferences remains unexplored. This research investigates whether, and how, two discrete negative emotions - anger and anxiety - shape mouth behavior preferences (e.g., crunching, squashing) and, consequently, preference for and attention to corresponding food textures (e.g., crunchy, mushy). Across two studies, we find that emotions elicit distinct mouth behavior tendencies aligned with their action tendencies. In Study 1 (N = 112), self-report data reveal that anger increases preference for crunching behavior, whereas anxiety increases preference for squashing behavior. In Study 2 (N = 53), electroencephalogram (EEG) data show that anger heightens attentional allocation to crunchy textures, while anxiety enhances attention to mushy textures, as reflected by the P300 component. Together, these findings contribute to the literatures on emotions, food texture preferences, oral haptics, sensory marketing, and neuromarketing. Specifically, the results elucidate how emotions drive texture preferences. Emotions can manifest in specific mouth behaviors consistent with their action tendencies, thereby shaping consumers' preferences for and attention to food textures congruent with those mouth behaviors. This suggests that texture preferences may be context-dependent rather than solely trait-based. Furthermore, the findings advance embodied emotion theory by demonstrating that discrete emotional states produce distinct neurophysiological patterns of attention and extend neuromarketing by illustrating the utility of EEG in capturing emotion-congruent biases in food perception.

Background & objective: Conducted in 2024 at the time of the Government of Canada's announcement about a new National School Food Program (NSFP), this study explores parents' and educators' perspectives on food, funding, and preferred attributes of an NSFP. Using an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) lens, we consider how to create socially just School Food Programs (SFPs).

Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study in publicly funded primary schools in two urban regions of Ontario, Canada. Parents/caregivers completed an online survey about family socio-demographics and views on SFPs with 267 valid responses. Twenty-seven parents participated in six focus groups and six primary school educators were interviewed.

Results: Equitable accessibility, cultural food, and including interest holders and community partners were organizing themes from qualitative findings that were compared to quantitative survey data. Equitable accessibility to SFPs was conceptualized as universally affordable but not necessarily universally free. Accessibility for students with dietary requirements was considered with concerns about logistical challenges. Consideration of cultural food in SFPs encompassed student representation, educational benefits, and challenges for incorporating it. Some parents advocated for the inclusion of key interest holders - students and parents - in planning and implementation along with broader community partners.

Conclusions: Many participants envisioned SFPs that consider universal accessibility, cultural food diversity, and inclusive participation. Embedding EDIA in program design is key to socially just SFPs but questions remain about how to achieve this. We recommend that local level data are collected with interest holder consultation.

The interactive effects of mindfulness and food characteristics on eating experiences remain poorly understood. This study examined whether a brief mindfulness intervention moderates the relationship between pasta quality and both hunger reduction and quality perception. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design, 128 participants consumed either Barilla's premium or classic pasta, with or without a 3.5-min guided meditation focusing on sensory awareness and gratitude during a blind tasting experience. Results revealed a consistent moderation pattern: control participants showed marked differences between pasta types in both hunger reduction and quality ratings, whereas mindfulness participants responded uniformly across pasta types. Specifically, control participants experienced significantly greater hunger reduction after consuming premium versus classic pasta (p = 0.008), and unexpectedly subjectively rated classic pasta as higher quality than premium (p = 0.034). In contrast, mindfulness participants showed equivalent responses to both pasta types across all measures (all ps > 0.40). This pattern replicated across three outcomes: hunger reduction, composite satiety scores, and quality perception, with control participants consistently showing pasta-type effects and mindfulness participants showing none. These findings suggest that brief mindfulness interventions may normalize eating responses by reducing automatic reactions to food characteristics. Rather than relying on external food characteristics or expectations, mindfulness may orient attention toward internal bodily signals of hunger and satiety. While replication in larger samples is warranted, the consistent pattern across multiple measures provides preliminary evidence that even brief mindfulness practices may enhance eating awareness and reduce expectation-driven biases in food quality perception.

Current consumption of animal-based protein sources is environmentally unsustainable and poses risks to human health, animal welfare, and food security. Policymakers in many countries seek to reduce the consumption of animal-based protein sources. However, this transition is affected by many factors, and it remains unclear how they interact and what their potential is for stimulating systemic change. This study synthesized stakeholders' perspectives on factors driving the consumption of animal- and plant-based protein sources into a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), visualiing factors and their cause-and-effect relationships. Three Group Model Building sessions with 28 stakeholders (consumers, researchers, industry representatives, policymakers, interest group members) from the Netherlands informed the CLD. The Action Scales Model was used to categorize factors into system levels (events, structures, goals, and beliefs), providing insights into their potential for systemic change. The resulting CLD reveals the complexity of protein consumption across five interconnected subsystems: 1) Individual Aspects, 2) Social Interactions & Culture, 3) Physical Food Environment, 4) Food Industry & Natural Food Environment, and 5) Politics & Regulation. The high interconnectivity indicates isolated interventions are unlikely to be sufficient for systemic change, as feedback mechanisms may counteract or neutralize their effects. Addressing multiple elements across the system is thus essential to accelerate the protein transition. This study provides a foundation for understanding the system dynamics shaping consumption of animal- and plant-based protein sources. However, further research is needed to incorporate quantitative weighting, determine the relative importance of mechanisms and identify leverage points for systemic change to guide policy development.

Unhealthy eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction are prevalent in Western societies, underscoring the importance of identifying adaptive eating patterns that support diet quality and well-being. This study examined how intuitive eating and motivation to regulate eating behaviors combine into distinct profiles, and how these profiles relate to diet quality, eating behaviors, and body image. A sample of 408 French-speaking adults from Québec, Canada (65.20 % women; M age = 46.93 years) completed an online questionnaire. Using the four dimensions of intuitive eating (i.e., unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, reliance on hunger and satiety cues, body-food choice congruence) and amotivation, controlled, and autonomous motivations to regulate eating behaviors as indicators, four profiles emerged from latent profile analysis: Autonomous Intuitive Eaters (15 % of the sample), Moderately Intuitive Eaters (31 %), Mixed-Motivation Unattuned Eaters (11 %), and Disengaged Eaters (44 %). Men, individuals with lower education, lower income, and higher body mass index were more likely to be Disengaged Eaters. Comparisons across profiles showed that Autonomous Intuitive Eaters reported the most favorable pattern (greater diet quality and body esteem, fewer problematic eating behaviors), while Moderately Intuitive Eaters reported similar but less pronounced outcomes. Mixed-Motivation Unattuned Eaters achieved high diet quality but reported poorer body esteem and more problematic eating behaviors, whereas Disengaged Eaters showed the lowest diet quality and least favorable psychological outcomes. Findings highlight the interplay between intuitive eating and motivation, suggesting that fostering adaptive combinations of both may promote healthier dietary patterns and positive relationships with food.

Despite vegetables being commonly served at UK mealtimes, children's consumption remains insufficient. Because portion sizes provided by parents predict children's intake, understanding how parents decide on vegetable portions during meals is critical but underexplored. This study examined whether meal context and food combinations influence parent portion size decisions. In a novel online portion size task, 407 parents (203 female) of 4-8-year-old children selected portions of protein, carbohydrate, and vegetable items across nine meal combinations. Parents then anticipated how much food their child would leave after each meal. Meal factors (food items), child factors (food liking, familiarity, anticipated leftovers, eating traits, gender) and parental factors (mealtime goals and feeding practices) were explored as predictors of parent vegetable portion sizes and anticipated child vegetable leftovers. Smaller vegetable portions were associated with lower perceived child vegetable liking, greater anticipated vegetable leftovers, and parental goals to avoid mealtime stress, whereas goals to serve healthy foods predicted larger portions. Meal combinations had a stronger effect on anticipated vegetable leftovers than on portion sizes. Parents expected more vegetable leftovers when non-vegetable items were highly liked or anticipated to be leftover, while higher vegetable liking and familiarity predicted fewer leftovers. These findings suggest that parents base vegetable portion sizes primarily on expectations about individual foods rather than the overall meal. However, when anticipating leftovers, parents appear to consider the influence of more palatable, non-vegetable items on their child's vegetable intake. Understanding these decision-making processes may inform strategies to support parents in serving appropriate vegetable portions and encouraging their intake.

While extensive research has examined factors influencing dietary behavior change, relatively little is known about what supports individuals in successfully maintaining such changes. Ramadan fasting (RF) provides a unique context to explore both context-specific and transferable factors underlying successful short-term dietary behavior change, as many individuals are expected to complete the full one-month fasting period. The current qualitative study aimed to identify the primary and secondary drivers of successful short-term dietary behavior change by examining the subjectively experienced motivations, barriers, and coping strategies among adults engaging in RF. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 adults at three time points: before, during, and at the end of Ramadan. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted through the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) model. Six overarching themes emerged: (1) Religion and Spirituality, (2) Social-Structural-Related Factors, (3) Physical and Mental Sensations, (4) Capability, (5) Food-Related Factors, and (6) Health and Weight Management. Findings revealed that adherence was primarily driven by religious obligation, spiritual meaning, and collective participation, factors unique to the Ramadan context, while capability, social support, self-regulation, and habit formation emerged as secondary, transferable drivers that supported maintenance and may extend to other dietary contexts. Successful behavior change resulted from the dynamic interaction of motivation, opportunity, and capability. These findings suggest that interventions aiming to promote sustained dietary change may benefit from aligning behavioral goals with individuals' core values, fostering social reinforcement, and supporting habit development through repeated practice.