Close to the Plate? Not on a Diet
Have researchers uncovered the secret to successful dieting? A study reveals that the strongest influence on diet success is not our preference for fatty foods, but their availability.
Is it possible that soon we will experience a real reform in regard to successful weight loss? A recent American study shows fascinating findings that may not necessarily align with the need for dieting to lose weight.
The intriguing study indicates that our choice of high-fat foods is not necessarily due to a preference but actually because these foods are simply the most available to us. The study involved 56 healthy individuals, 20 of whom were of normal weight, and the rest were overweight or obese.
Researchers placed a bowl of popcorn very close to the participants, with another bowl of apples placed two meters away. Interestingly, participants preferred to eat from the nearby bowl of popcorn rather than exerting the effort to reach the apples. Later, the experiment was repeated, with apples replacing the popcorn bowl, and again the participants preferred the closest option, not making an effort to reach the popcorn bowl.
Furthermore, the study suggests that there is no correlation between excess weight and food choice. What influenced eating behavior the most for the majority of the subjects was the distance from the food bowl. Thus, researchers quickly concluded that food accessibility and availability are what determines success in dieting.
