According to a study, choosing an indulgent dessert first can lead to less caloric meals

According to a new study published by the American Psychological Association, if you plan to choose a dessert first, the high-calorie option might get you to eat healthier unless you have a lot to do at your head.

The researchers placed a healthy or less healthy dessert (fresh fruit versus lemon cheesecake) at the beginning or end of a university cafeteria line. When the guests chose the cheesecake first, they then chose main dishes or low-calorie accompaniments and eventually consumed fewer calories than the guests who chose fresh fruit first. These effects were not found when one or the other of the desserts was placed at the end of the catering line.

"We believe that customers who first chose the gourmet dessert then chose plates and healthier dishes to make up for their high-calorie dessert," said Martin Reimann, Ph.D., an badistant professor of marketing and marketing. University of Arizona. main authors of the study. "Customers who chose the healthier dessert may have thought that they had already done a good deed for their body, so they deserved more high-calorie foods down the line of the cafeteria."

The first experiment took place at the cafeteria of the EGADE Business School of Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Three other online experiences that mimicked a food distribution website resulted in similar results except when participants were distracted because they had a lot in mind. In this case, participants who first chose indulgent dessert were more likely to continue making unhealthy choices by choosing high-calorie main courses and side dishes.

In the cafeteria experience, the study's author, David Flores, Ph.D., and a research badistant interviewed 134 guests about healthy eating after they walked into the cafeteria. For four days, a lemon cheesecake or fresh fruit (but not both) was placed at the front of the line or at the end of the line. There were also main dishes and healthy and less healthy dishes (for example, grilled chicken fajitas and a small salad or fried fish and fries). Client food choices were surreptitiously recorded during the interviews and the amount of leftover food was also noted after meals to estimate the total number of calories consumed. The cafeteria offered a fixed-price menu, so the price of desserts was not a factor, according to the study.

Customers who chose the gourmet dessert first consumed an average of 30% fewer calories (including dessert) compared to those who chose the healthiest dessert first. Diners who chose cheesecake first are also twice as likely to order the lighter main course than those who chose cheesecake at the end of the line.

The researchers controlled for other variables that could influence the results, including age, bad, body mbad index, diets, exercises, and opinions on healthy eating. . The only variable that had significant effects was age, with the difference in calories consumed increasing with age. Since the teachers and staff also used the cafeteria, the age of the participants was between 18 and 60 years old, with an average of 32 years.

Since online food delivery services have become more popular, the study included three online experiences using the same design as the cafeteria experience, but with a food delivery simulation site. The dessert choices were a fruit salad or a chocolate cake. In the first experiment, 160 participants were asked about their hunger and the amount of food they chose with each of the selected foods in order to estimate their overall caloric intake. The results were similar to those of the cafeteria study, with a significant estimate of fewer calories for full meals when participants chose the chocolate cake first, instead of the fruit salad.

In another online study of 180 participants, the results were similar when a healthy or less healthy main course was featured first on the food distribution website menu instead of a dessert.

A last online experiment with 296 participants investigated whether the mood of a dinner could affect their food choices. One group was asked to memorize a two-digit number before ordering on the food delivery website, while the other group had to memorize a seven-digit number. For the low-cognitive group that memorized the two-digit number, the results were similar to previous experiences.

However, participants with a high "cognitive load" who tried to remember the seven-digit number had the opposite result. They were more likely to choose main courses and high calorie side dishes after choosing a high calorie dessert.

"People need to be aware that their initial food choices and their state of mind can affect the health of their meals," said Reimann.

Restaurants, cafeterias, and food delivery websites could encourage healthy eating through the placement of healthy or less healthy foods, and guests could eat less at unlimited buffets if indulgent desserts were placed at home. Before the buffet line, the study is noted. Food suppliers could also increase their profits by giving priority to indulgent foods if the main courses and healthier side dishes are more expensive than the less healthy foods.

More information:
"If I abandon myself first, I will eat less overall: the effect of unexpected interaction of leniency and presentation on consumption", by David Flores, PhD, Tecnológico de Monterrey; Martin Reimann, PhD, University of Arizona; Raquel Castaño, PhD, and Alberto Lopez, PhD, Tecnológico de Monterrey; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, published online February 7, 2019.

Provided by
American Association of Psychology