People lack willpower to eat healthy

Most people know the rules of good eating, but they quite often have a hard time applying them, a University of Alberta researcher has said.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't snack before supper; you'll ruin your appetite.

These dietary pearls of wisdom have been dropped on children for decades.

But Robert Fisher of the University of Alberta noted that while people know the rules surrounding good eating and proper nutrition, they seem to lack one common component that often costs them the battle of the bulge: willpower.

The focus of Fisher's study, developed with Laurette Dube from McGill University, defined the lay beliefs of Americans with regards to rules about eating.

Responses such as not snacking, always eating breakfast and not wasting food were common responses.

Through a series of studies, Fisher was able to synthesize his findings into scales wherein these rules were weighed against factors such as eating behaviours, body satisfaction and social desirability.

Read full article: Times of India, November 5, 2011