YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Autumn 2015) | Page 3

EMILY ORCHARD, APD
Emily is a community-based Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited
Nutritionist (orchardfreshnutrition.blogspot.com.au), who consults individuals and
groups on a range of nutrition related topics including healthy eating, weight
management, chronic disease management, nutrition for ageing, children’s
nutrition. Emily’s key interests include growing and preparing delicious and
nutritious meals, as well as children’s nutrition and sports nutrition. Read more
about Emily at n4foodandhealth.com

BEWARE OF THE
“HEALTH HALO” EFFECT
Nutrition expert Emily Orchard reminds us to beware of the “health halo” effect that may
come with some nutrition fads.
here is so much nutrition
information available these
days and everyone seems to
be an “expert” when it comes to food
and nutrition. We are constantly
bombarded with information about the
latest fad diets, food trends and new
products on the market, so I’m never
surprised when people come to me
feeling confused and frustrated. And
more commonly I am seeing people
who have jumped on a particular
nutrition fad, and fallen victim to what is
known as the “health halo” effect.

T

“The what what?” you are probably
asking. Here are some real life examples
of the health halo effect in action:
• “I’ll have another triple chocolate
muffin please. They are so delicious,
and they are gluten free so they are
good for you! Bonus!”
• “I ate the whole packet of cookies. But
it’s okay because they were organic.”
• “I can have seconds because they
are all natural.”

• “I use a thick spread of margarine on
everything, because I use the
cholesterol free version.”
• “I can eat and drink heaps this
weekend because I was good during
the week.”
The health halo effect describes the
tendency to eat more of a product
when we perceive it as being “healthy.”
As a result, we can end up eating more
calories than if we were to have the
original version of a food!
The health halo effect occurs when we
eat more of a low fat food simply
because it is low fat, or we have lots of a
super indulgent dessert because we had
a seemingly healthy main meal.
Interestingly, the health halo effect may
be contributing to why people in the
developed world are of a higher weight
now than ever, despite low fat eating
patterns, increased nutrition information
and product availability.
There have been a number of research

studies conducted in America, which
demonstrate that when we believe we
are being “healthy” or choosing a “low
fat” or “low calorie” meal, we actually
end up consuming more calories in
total! This research was conducted by
Chandon and Wansik in 2007. You can
read more about it at:
• www.jstor.org/
stable/10.1086/519499
• foodpsychology.cornell.edu/
outreach/organic.html
• www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/
science/02tier.html
The take home message here is simply to
be aware of the way you label or
categorise food in your own mind. Do
you consider foods to be “good” or
“bad,” or do you tell yourself you are
going to be really strict with your diet so
you can eat like crazy at other times?
Really, the health halo effect just
demonstrates the crazy mind games we
play with ourselves!
At the end of day, we could all benefit
from listening to our body and what it is
asking for, rather than falling victim to
the endless food claims, food
advertising and fad diets which are
promoted in the media.
Make yourself aware of the nutrition
value of foods, and seek the support of
an Accredited Practising Dietitian to
help you understand the sea of
information out there!
Putting a little more thought into your
choices may help you to understand
why eating in a particular way could get
your health on track. You just might be
surprised!

AUTUMN 2015 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE

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