Why Do We Keep Choosing Unhealthy Foods
- 11 years ago
Research into consumer behavior shows that even when there are healthier options available on the menu, people still eat less healthy food.
Even though fast food restaurants are offering healthier choices on their menus, people are still buying unhealthy food.
Research into consumer behavior shows that even when there are healthier options available on the menu, people eat less healthy food.
Gavan J. Fitzsimons, a professor who studies consumer psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business said: “When you put a healthy option up there on an otherwise unhealthy menu, not only do we not pick it, but its presence on the menu leads us to swing over and pick something that’s worse for us than we normally would.”
Fast food restaurants know this and are capitalizing by making things like a doughnut breakfast sandwich with an egg and bacon on a glazed doughnut, or bacon filled tater tots.
The habit of eating fast food is taking a toll on the health of Americans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, over one third of Americans are obese.
The CDC also reported that between 2007 and 2010, American adults consumed an average of over 11 percent of the daily calories from fast food.
Even though fast food restaurants are offering healthier choices on their menus, people are still buying unhealthy food.
Research into consumer behavior shows that even when there are healthier options available on the menu, people eat less healthy food.
Gavan J. Fitzsimons, a professor who studies consumer psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business said: “When you put a healthy option up there on an otherwise unhealthy menu, not only do we not pick it, but its presence on the menu leads us to swing over and pick something that’s worse for us than we normally would.”
Fast food restaurants know this and are capitalizing by making things like a doughnut breakfast sandwich with an egg and bacon on a glazed doughnut, or bacon filled tater tots.
The habit of eating fast food is taking a toll on the health of Americans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, over one third of Americans are obese.
The CDC also reported that between 2007 and 2010, American adults consumed an average of over 11 percent of the daily calories from fast food.