Earlier this year, we reported that thinking about the future may help prevent overeating. And a new study from Appetite journal serves up even more evidence that futurism is gaining traction in the diet world.
For the study, researchers interviewed 240 adults, some overweight, about their lifestyle habits. It turns out that healthy-weight adults are more likely to think about the future and read nutrition labels than overweight people are—and they’re also less likely to pay attention to health-related claims (think: "low-fat" or "a good source of fiber"). Overweight people, however, are just the opposite: They don’t pay as much attention to the future, they’re less likely to read labels—and they’re more likely to pay attention to health-related claims (which are often buzzy and misleading, anyway).
"When consumers are more future-oriented, they’re more prone to take healthy diet choices into account—and, thus more likely to have healthy BMI levels," they write in the study.
MORE: 8 Tips That Make It Easier to Stop Eating When You're Full
The fact that slim people are less likely to pay attention to health claims than overweight people is also rooted in futurism—but in a slightly different way. "A possible explanation for this finding may be the low self-perceived health status of overweight consumers," the study authors continue. See, overweight people obviously know they’re overweight—and as a result, they hear health claims and believe that they really could improve their health down the line. They’re often so overwhelmed with the prospect of slimming down that they’re just looking for something that could give them hope in what often feels like a hopeless mission. Nutritional labels, however, are a little more complicated—and don't promise the quick fix that health-related claims on food packaging often do.
Now, it's important to understand that this study was correlational, meaning people who thought about the future and read labels weighed less, but one didn't necessarily cause the other. That said, you can definitely emulate the slimmer people's habits—it certainly can't hurt. So try to think more about the future when you're making health-related decisions, and be sure to read your nutrition labels. These articles will help you get started:
Nutrition Labels: Read the Fine Print!
6 Food Labels That Don't Mean What You Think They Do
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