Health Halo
The term “Health Halo” is often used to refer to the phenomenon of consumers giving certain foods superiority over others or deemed “healthy” based on a number of factors such as the health and nutrition claims, branding, marketing and packaging. Thus, this can lead to perception bias so consumers believe a food is lower in calories which in turn can cause overeating¹.
“How Salads Can Make Us Fat.” In 2015, The New York Times published an article² discussing how consumers in the USA who have “healthy” food in their shopping trolleys are more likely to step towards the ice cream or alcohol section³, suggesting a tit-for-tat mechanism is automatically installed in us even though we are not aware of this².
Health halo’s can occur for 3 reasons⁴:
- People think they can eat more without breaking their diet goals.
- Make people feel more hungry.
- They can reduce guilt around food.
Let’s look at an example
When scrolling through social media influencers post recipes that appear to be “healthy” but how “healthy” are these foods?
We have broken down the nutritional information of a popular “health” food, peanut butter energy balls below. The recipe included oats, peanut butter and maple syrup.
Energy balls are often deemed a snack of choice by many, especially in the "wellness sphere".
However, it is important to note that they are extremely energy dense for such a small volume and it may not leave you satiated as a result. Alternatively, another choice of food where you get a larger portion for equal nutritional value might be more satisfying.
Individually, one energy ball could be a beneficial snack after exercise but it It is important to understand the nutritional content.
On average we should consume 2,000kcal/ day for women and 2,500kcal/ day for men to maintain our weight⁶ this would equate to ⅕ of our daily calorie intake - reminder this is per 100g. Individually, one energy ball could be a beneficial snack after exercise but it is important to be aware of the fat content and when eaten in excess consequences may occur⁵.
The same principle occurs for other foods. For example, using coconut oil in recipes has been a growing trend on social media. Every 1 tbsp (14g) of coconut oil contains ~11g of saturated fat (the total daily recommendation for saturated fat is no more than 20g for women and no more than 30g for men)
There is limited evidence to support the health benefits of coconut oil⁸ however some research has found that it can increase HDL cholesterol (good fats) but it can also increase LDL cholesterol (bad fats) which has been linked to an increase in cardiovascular risk⁹. At a quick glance these foods may look healthy but if you look a little deeper they may not be as good for you as you once thought.
The importance of balance
What defines a food as “healthy” or “unhealthy”, is it the calories? Sugar, salt and fat content? The truth is there is no definition for healthy and unhealthy foods, the important thing is the balance of foods that contribute to our diet that provide us with the amount of energy and nutrients needed for our body to function¹⁰.
The eatwell guide provides us with a breakdown of what foods we should consume on a daily basis. If we aim to follow this we can be sure we are meeting our nutritional requirements¹⁰.
Our Advice
Look at food labels - identify if foods are high, medium or low in nutritional value by using the traffic light labelling - keep an eye out for a new e-book coming in March.
Examine the ingredient list in recipes - swap out any foods for healthier options.
Nutrition and health claims do not mean a food is a healthier option -educate yourself on nutrition labels to determine how you can include them to create a balanced way of eating for you.
Balance is key! There is a place for sweet foods and they should be enjoyed. Remember anything you place a ban on will likely create an unhealthy relationship with food. You should never feel guilty for choosing the foods you enjoy!
Look at the bigger picture - when determining what foods you consume, look at your diet over the course of a week or even month, this way you can see if overall you are getting a balanced diet.
The most important message is even though we eat for nutrition and to fuel our body with goodness, we also eat because we LOVE food!