The Health Halo Effect

 The Health Halo Effect describes a psychological phenomenon whereby people eat more of something they perceive as being healthy.

• FAT-FREE
• SUGAR-FREE
• CHOLESTEROL FREE
• ORGANIC
• ALL-NATURAL
• MULTI-GRAIN
• PROBIOTICS

You see these words (or some of them) and you immediately think that it is good, right? Because it is good for us, we can eat more...right? Well, first...

Healthy ≠ Calorie Free/Lower Calorie

A company may use some of these big, flashy, marketing words, to distract you from some less than desirable ingredients/qualities in the product.

Another important factor to lack is diversity for macronutrients, micronutrients, kinds of fiber, and more. Don't over consume 1 item because you think it is good for you. Our body needs a lot of variety.

Part 2:

NNS stands for non-nutritive sweeteners there are 6 artificial NNS approved by the FDA and 2 natural NNS. Artificial: acesulfame potassium (ace K), advantame, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose. Natural: steviol glycosides (stevia) and Monk Fruit Extract (Luo Han Guo).

Now, we can deep dive into those another time.

For now, let's generalize all NNS (though they are not all equal). NNS and the Health Halo Effect:

There is some belief that NNS causes people to be hungrier and/or eat more due to the dissociation between sweet taste and lack of calories. Regular NNS consumers actually have altered activation patterns in food reward-related pathways in the brain. These findings were discovered via neuroimaging. This also leaves the hypothesis that regular NNS use can train the brain to disassociate a sweet nutritive and non-nutritive taste.

All in all, take steps each day to work towards eating more nutrient-dense foods, a calorie deficit if trying to lose weight, and don't fall for marketing scams. A quick easy way to see what is in the foods you consume or the health beauty products you use is by using Yuka. A quick scan on Yuka allows you to see a full breakdown of the complex ingredients and even recommends better alternatives.

Click for Yuka Download

- Kelsey - Head Of Fitness

In Progress: Master's of Science in Sports and Health Sciences w/ a focus in Exercise Science and Human Performance (2023). Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Online Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Women's Fitness Specialist, Pain Management Specialist, Adult & Pediatric CPR/AED Certified. Additional Certs: Nutrition Coaching: Changing Habits, Not Diets, The 3D Approach to Finding Nutritional Balance, NASM's OPTimal Living: Understanding Food Labels and Portion Sizes, NASM's OPTimal Living: Navigating Diets, NASM's OPTimal Living: Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies, Low Back Health Begins with the Core, Kettlebells: Mastering the Swing, Training the Brain: The Neuroscience of Aerobic Exercise, NASM's Guide to Bodybuilding, Emotions in Motion: Exercise as an Anxiety Intervention, Special Olympics Inclusive Fitness Training, ACE IFT Model: Program Design for Every Client

Additional Education: B.A. in Business Management w/ a focus in HR, A.A. in Business Admin, A.A. in Early Childhood Education, A.A. in Natural Science, prior DODD certified respite care provider, TESOL 120 HR, TEFL 160 HR.