The menu with the indication of caloric content affects the choice of dishes
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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American scientists who study the influence of the information indicated on the menu on the choice of a dish by a man found that people tend to choose healthier food if they have the opportunity to see the calorie content of a dish, and also the number of kilometers that they need to go through, what to burn eaten calories.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina provided information to participants in the experiment not about the time it would take them to burn calories, namely the distance that must be traveled on foot in order to "squander" the calories they received.
The study involved 802 middle-aged women. The overwhelming majority - 82% - said that they would prefer to see a note about the nutritional value of the dish and the degree of physical exertion necessary to burn calories.
Experts randomly distributed the various menu variations between the participants of the study:
- Menu, which provided information on the caloric content of the dishes;
- Menu with information on calories and the time required for their burning;
- The menu in which the nutritional value of the dish was prescribed, as well as the distance to be overcome in order to get rid of the calories consumed;
- And the last option is a menu where no information was given (control group).
The subjects were offered to imagine that they are in a fast food restaurant and they need to make an order. What kind of dish will they choose based on the information presented in the menu?
Their proposed options participants could choose hamburgers, sandwiches, side dishes, salads, sauces, desserts and drinks. For example, those who got a more informative menu, were told: "Hamburger - 250 calories, for burning which you need to spend 78 minutes, and go 4.2 kilometers on foot.
The menu was made on the basis of the most common and popular dishes of fast food restaurants, without pictures.
The results showed a significant difference in orders.
So, the group that got the menu, deprived of any information, on average, imposed on 1,020 calories, participants who received a menu with information on calories, on average, met the 927 calories. 916 calories were in the team that ordered dishes, based on information about the nutritional value of the dish and the time it takes to burn calories. And the dishes with the most comparatively low calorie content were chosen by the fourth group, which knew both the calorie content and the distance that it would take to go after lunch.
"The menu in which the number of calories present in the dish was indicated, as well as the distance needed to burn them, turned out to be the most effective and helped people to orient themselves in choosing dishes. They tried to choose less-calorie foods, "the researchers say.
At the same time, scientists note that despite the effectiveness of this method of fighting obesity, these results still need additional confirmation.