Embodied food politics Carolan, Michael S
c2011., 2011, 20160429, 2012, 2016-05-06, 2011-04-01, 20110101
eBook
Drawing on a variety of case studies, this book explores the interrelationship between physical connections to and knowledge of food. This book inserts into the food literature living, feeling, ...sensing bodies and will be of interest to food scholars as well as those more generally interested in the phenomenon known as embodied realism.
Relevant factors involved in the creation of some children's food preferences and eating behaviours have been examined in order to highlight the topic and give paediatricians practical instruments to ...understand the background behind eating behaviour and to manage children's nutrition for preventive purposes. Electronic databases were searched to locate and appraise relevant studies. We carried out a search to identify papers published in English on factors that influence children's feeding behaviours. The family system that surrounds a child's domestic life will have an active role in establishing and promoting behaviours that will persist throughout his or her life. Early-life experiences with various tastes and flavours have a role in promoting healthy eating in future life. The nature of a narrative review makes it difficult to integrate complex interactions when large sets of studies are involved. In the current analysis, parental food habits and feeding strategies are the most dominant determinants of a child's eating behaviour and food choices. Parents should expose their offspring to a range of good food choices while acting as positive role models. Prevention programmes should be addressed to them, taking into account socioeconomic aspects and education.
During social transmission of food preference (STFP), the combination of an olfactory sensory input with a social cue induces long-term memory of a food odor. How a social cue produces long-term ...learning of an olfactory input, however, remains unknown. Here we show that the neurons of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), which form abundant synaptic projections onto granule cells in the olfactory bulb (OB), express the synaptogenic molecule C1ql3. Deletion of C1ql3 in the dorsolateral AON impaired synaptic AON→OB connections and abolished acquisition, but not recall, of STFP memory without significantly affecting basal olfaction. Moreover, deletion in granule cells of the OB of Bai3, a postsynaptic GPCR that binds C1ql3, similarly suppressed synaptic transmission at AON→OB projections and abolished acquisition, but not recall, of STFP memory. Thus, synaptic AON→OB connections are selectively required for STFP memory acquisition and are formed by an essential interaction of presynaptic C1ql3 with postsynaptic Bai3.
•Anterior olfactory nucleus (AON) neurons express high levels of synaptogenic C1ql3•AON deletion of C1ql3 blocks social transmission of food preference (STFP) learning•Similarly, olfactory bulb deletion of the C1ql3 receptor Bai3 blocks STFP learning•Presynaptic C1ql3 and postsynaptic Bai3 enable AON→olfactory bulb synapse function
Wang et al. show that presynaptic C1ql3 and its postsynaptic receptor Bai3, an adhesion GPCR, are necessary for formation of functional synaptic projections from the anterior olfactory nucleus to the olfactory bulb and that this projection is required for acquisition of social transmission of food preference memory in mice.
Much recent research has explored vegetarians' dietary motivations, recurrently highlighting the significant influence they exert on how people view themselves and others. For vegetarians and other ...plant-based dieters, dietary motivations have been theorized to be a central aspect of identity. Yet not all plant-based dieters are motivated to follow their diets; rather, some face aversions and constraints. In this paper, we propose that motivations, aversions, and constraints constitute three distinct reasons for consuming a plant-based diet. After conceptually distinguishing motivations from aversions and constraints, we critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of two conceptual frameworks that exist for studying these motivations systematically: the ethical-health framework and the Unified Model of Vegetarian Identity (UMVI) motivational orientations framework. Importantly, these frameworks serve different purposes, and their suitability often depends on the research question at hand. Particularly given an increasing prevalence of plant-based dieting, cultivating a more holistic understanding of these two frameworks is necessary for advancing this discipline. Directions for future research are discussed.
One of the central problems in nutrition is the difficulty of getting people to change their dietary behaviours so as to bring about an improvement in health. What is required is a clearer ...understanding of the motivations of consumers, barriers to changing diets and how we might have an impact upon dietary behaviour. This book brings together theory, research and applications from psychology and behavioural sciences applied to dietary behaviour. The authors are all international leaders in their respective fields and together give an overview of the current understanding of consumer food choice.
Background
Antipsychotic-induced weight gain has been especially related to clozapine and olanzapine. Underlying mechanisms in relation to food preferences with an increased food craving and ...consumption of specific nutrients have not been extensively studied in patients with serious mental illness (SMI). We aim to describe specific food preferences (craving) and subsequent food consumption in SMI patients starting clozapine, as well as their possible relation to weight and body mass index (BMI).
Methods
An observational prospective follow-up study (18 weeks) was conducted in a cohort of 34 SMI patients who started clozapine due to resistant-psychotic symptoms. Anthropometric measures, Food Craving Inventory (FCI), and a food consumption frequency questionnaire were evaluated at baseline, weeks 8 and 18 of treatment. Statistical analysis included generalized estimating equations models with adjustment for potential confounding factors.
Results
No longitudinal changes over time were found across the different food craving scores after 18 weeks of treatment. However, adjusted models according to BMI status showed that the normal weight (NW) group presented an increased score for the “complex carbohydrates/proteins” food cravings (− 0.67; 95% CI − 1.15, − 0.19;
P
= 0.010), while baseline scores for “fast-food fats” cravings were significantly higher in the overweight/obese (OWO) group in comparison with NW patients (NW, 2.05; 95% CI 1.60, 2.49; OWO, 2.81, 95% CI 2.37, 3.25;
P
= 0.016). When considering if food craving could predict weight gain, only increments in “fast-food fats” cravings were associated (
β
= − 5.35 ± 1.67; 95% CI − 8.64, − 2.06;
P
= 0.001).
Conclusions
No longitudinal differences were found for any of the food craving scores evaluated; however, in the NW group, food craving for “complex carbohydrates/proteins” changed. Thus, changes in “fast-food fats” cravings predicted weight increase in this sample. Interventions targeting food preferences may help to mitigate weight gain in patients starting treatment with clozapine.
•Compared to health vegans, ethical vegans adhered to a vegan diet longer•Higher intake of soy and vitamin supplements in ethical versus health vegans•Health vegans consumed more fruit and sweets ...compared to ethical vegans•Reason for adhering to a vegan diet must be considered when studying vegans
The proportion of individuals choosing to follow a vegan diet has increased in recent years. The choice is made for different reasons, primarily concern for animals (ethics) and health, which may impact both specific food choices and other lifestyle behaviors linked to health outcomes. To determine the extent to which the reason for following a vegan diet was associated with health behaviors, we conducted an online survey recruiting an international sample of 246 individuals who reported adhering to a vegan diet. We hypothesized that compared to those following the diet for ethical reasons, those doing so for health reasons would consume foods with higher nutritional value and engage in other healthier lifestyle behaviors. Our hypotheses were partially supported in that those citing health reasons (n = 45) reported eating more fruit (U = 3503.00, p = 0.02) and fewer sweets (U = 3347.00, p < 0.01) than did those citing ethical reasons (n = 201). Individuals endorsing ethical reasons reported being on the diet longer (U = 3137.00, p < 0.01), and more frequent consumption of soy (U = 2936.00, p < 0.01), foods rich in vitamin D (U = 3441.00, p = 0.01), high-polyphenol beverages (U = 3124.50, p < 0.01), and vitamin supplements (vitamin D: χ2 = 4.65, p = 0.04; vitamin B12: χ2 = 4.46, p = 0.03) than did those endorsing health reasons. As these factors may affect outcome in studies investigating the impact of vegan diets on health, they should be taken into account when studying persons following a vegan diet.
Food-related promotion of brands via social media represents an increasingly important youth-targeted marketing strategy, but little is known about how adolescents interact with these brands online. ...This study measures adolescents’ social media engagement with food/beverage brands, sociodemographic differences in level of engagement, and relationships between engagement and screen time.
Cross-sectional online survey of US adolescents (ages 13–17, N = 1564), oversampled for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic (more- and less-acculturated) participants, assessed restaurant, food, and beverage brands ever liked, shared, or followed of on social media. Multivariate logistic regression models examined associations between brand engagement, sociodemographic variables (race/ethnicity, acculturation, age, gender, and parent education), and screen time (TV and other screens).
Seventy percent of adolescents reported engaging with any food/beverage brands on social media (ranging from 1 to 48), and 35% engaged with 5 + brands. Non-Hispanic Black and less-acculturated Hispanic adolescents were more likely than non-Hispanic White adolescents to engage with brands. Approximately one-half reported engaging with brands of fast food (54% of participants), sugary drinks (50%), candy (46%), and snacks (45%), while just 7% reported engaging with all other categories of food/beverage brands. Watching TV more than 2 h-per-day was associated with any brand engagement; while using other screens more than 2 h-per-day was associated with following 5 + brands.
Engagement with unhealthy food brands on social media is common among adolescents. Disproportionate engagement by non-Hispanic Black and less-acculturated Hispanic youth raises additional concerns. Research is needed to understand how such marketing affects adolescents’ food preferences, diets, and health.
Over the past decade, choice architecture interventions or so-called nudges have received widespread attention from both researchers and policy makers. Built on insights from the behavioral sciences, ...this class of behavioral interventions focuses on the design of choice environments that facilitate personally and socially desirable decisions without restricting people in their freedom of choice. Drawing on more than 200 studies reporting over 450 effect sizes (
= 2,149,683), we present a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions across techniques, behavioral domains, and contextual study characteristics. Our results show that choice architecture interventions overall promote behavior change with a small to medium effect size of Cohen's
= 0.45 (95% CI 0.39, 0.52). In addition, we find that the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions varies significantly as a function of technique and domain. Across behavioral domains, interventions that target the organization and structure of choice alternatives (decision structure) consistently outperform interventions that focus on the description of alternatives (decision information) or the reinforcement of behavioral intentions (decision assistance). Food choices are particularly responsive to choice architecture interventions, with effect sizes up to 2.5 times larger than those in other behavioral domains. Overall, choice architecture interventions affect behavior relatively independently of contextual study characteristics such as the geographical location or the target population of the intervention. Our analysis further reveals a moderate publication bias toward positive results in the literature. We end with a discussion of the implications of our findings for theory and behaviorally informed policy making.
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