- According to a recent report released in the journal “Appetite”, you are more likely to follow the eating patterns you post on social media more often.
- When Facebook friends of study participants shared more about fast food, participants were more likely to eat junk food more often.
- If Facebook friends of the study participants shared healthy foods, participants were more likely to consume healthier foods.
Your social media page is full of friends who seem to turn sugar into their food category. And maybe they are on the other end of the continuum, demonstrating their meal-prep expertise with a seemingly infinite selection of fried chicken breasts, steamed broccoli, and fruit salad. That way, according to recent studies, you are more likely to follow whatever eating patterns you see more frequently on Instagram.
How much is too much-processed food?
The study, published in the journal Appetite, examines whether the eating habits and preferences of Facebook users predicted their food consumption for participants. Researchers recruited 369 college students and asked them to report their perceptions of how many people eat fruit, vegetables, energy-dense snacks, and sugar- in their Facebook feeds. They were then asked to take note of their consumption habits.
Once these were cross-referenced, it revealed that the study participant’s understanding of his or her Facebook friend’s food intake behaviors also predicted the participant’s behaviors significantly. Many who participated in fast food “allowed” by their social groups reported consuming more themselves, while those who felt their peers consumed more fruits and vegetables and avoided sugar drinks mostly followed those habits.
What was learnt?
Not only should these results encourage some self-reflection when it comes to what you eat, but they should also stimulate some consideration about how we affect others, according to study co-author Lily Hawkins, a candidate for a Ph.D. in health psychology at Aston University in Birmingham, UK.
“The big lesson here is that social networking will more than we realize affect our eating habits,” Hawkins told Bicycling that this is why they like to learn precisely what they are openly revealing, while it can impact most peoples’ eating habits on social media.
Such results are similar to previous research that found social media may play a pivotal role in patterns of consumption, particularly on young adults. “Maybe discussing better and safer choices than our indulgences would help nudge us to eat healthy too,” Hawkins said. That means all the planning and steaming broccoli could be more than just a way to hold the balanced eating ambitions on track — it could also be a gift to your mates.
Caution may be especially important with social media, as some research suggests a correlation between the use of social media by adolescents and disordered eating behaviors such as worrying about their weight or appearance, missing meals, binge eating, or exercising too much.
