According to a study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, obesity and foods restrictions are associated with less food enjoyment. For this study, 552 adolescents between 11 and 17 years old from several high schools in Granada, have had their emotional reactions analysed during the visualisation of images of sweet foods. The researchers observed that those adolescents who reported different types of dietary restrictions, along with those who were obese and those who had unhealthy behaviours unrelated to food, felt less pleasure, attraction and desire to eat the highly palatable foods they were looking at.
The researchers explained, adolescence, typically associated with greater body dissatisfaction, is a key stage for the development of risky eating behaviours, related both to uncontrolled restrictions on food intake- which may lead to the development of eating disorders- and with the stabilisation of overweight and obesity. The results obtained pointed out that those adolescents who feel more pleasure or enjoyment when eating. Having a healthy relationship with food, and this pleasure may be a possible protective factor against eating and weight-related disorders.
According to the researchers, consistent with recent prevention strategies, it is important to change the perspective on the enjoyment of food with respect to the prevention of obesity, banishing the idea that we should avoid the pleasure of eating. On the contrary: one should take advantage of it, and make food enjoyment- the 'slow food movement'- a tool for healthy eating.