We prefer veg to junk food when hungry

WHEN those hunger pangs strike after lunch, you might think most of us would be tempted to reach for a biscuit.

But according to research, when we’re hungry, we’re more likely to pick a healthy snack over an unhealthy one if given a choice.

The study, which suggests we’re less likely to give in to junk food than we thought, asked 1,000 people to rate how satisfied they thought they would be by different types of food.

Results showed that vegetables and fruits were perceived to satisfy hunger the most, whilst foods such as sweets, biscuits and crisps were perceived to satisfy hunger the least.

Lead researcher Dr Nicola Buckland, from the School of Psychology at Leeds University, said participants tended to associate ‘hunger satisfaction’ with foods that are low in fat, high in fibre, and more expensive.

The researchers now hope to build a database of the way different foods are perceived by consumers, to help doctors and the food industry battle obesity.

They said that if their findings are correct, then steering people towards healthier alternatives might be all that is needed – as once they see a healthy option more people are likely to perceive it as hunger-sating, and should therefore choose it over junk food.

The authors, presenting their results at the European Congress on Obesity in Prague, said: ‘These findings are an early step towards building a satiety map of common foods for consumers and the food industry.’

They added: ‘Consumer perceptions of common foods alongside their objective nutritional attributes are important determinants of the perceived satiety value of foods.

‘Foods rated as most satiating by consumers were low in energy density, low in percentage of fat, high in fibre and tended to be more expensive per calorie.

‘These findings have implications for the development and marketing of satiety-enhancing foods.’

A Danish tax on food containing saturated fat boosted healthy eating, a study has found.

Researchers said that regardless of whether a household was rich or poor, the tax decreased people’s intake of fat and increased their consumption of vegetables and fruit.

But Dr Sinne Smed, of the University of Copenhagen, said: ‘Despite positive health effects the tax was abolished after just one year in 2012.’

‘Hunger satisfaction’