Field Notes

Actively Preparing or Watching Others Prepare Food Can Lead to Eating More

A team of researchers led by Jane Ogden, PhD, a professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, investigated the impact of actively preparing or watching others prepare food (eg, on a cooking show) vs distraction away from this focus. Researchers sought to understand how this may affect the amount of food consumed and influence the desire to continue eating.

To investigate this further, 80 female participants were recruited and assigned to one of four groups: active food preparation (preparing a cheese wrap within 10 minutes), video food preparation (watching a video of a researcher preparing a cheese wrap), distraction (undertaking a 10-minute coloring task), and a control group. All groups were then requested to eat the wrap.

Researchers measured how much of the wrap each participant ate and assessed their desire to continue eating (rating statements such as “I could eat now,” “I do not want to eat,” and “I am thinking about food”). It was found that those who had either actively prepared the wrap or watched someone else do so consumed more and reported a greater desire to eat than those in the distraction group.

Ogden says, "We found that actively preparing food yourself or watching someone else prepare food can lead to increased feelings of hunger and to eating more. The impact of this depends on the kinds of food being prepared. If the food is lacking in nutritional value, this could lead to weight gain and unhealthful overeating. However, if people are preparing their own nutritious food or watching others do the same, then this could actually be a good influence, particularly if they’re cooking with children, as it could encourage them to eat more of the healthier foods that they may not have usually wanted to eat."

— Source: University of Surrey

 

Urban Agriculture Is Insufficient for Chicagoans to Rely Solely on Local Food

Environmentally conscious consumers try to “buy local” when food shopping. Now, a study of food raised and grown around Chicago has shown that buying local can’t provide all necessary nutrients for area residents, though it could fulfill their needs if some nutrients were supplied as supplements. In the American Chemical Society’s publication Environmental Science & Technology, researchers report that urban agriculture made little difference in reducing overall land area, and thus distance, required to supply all nutritional needs.

As the US population continues to flow to urban regions, consumers are moving farther from farms and croplands. This limits nutrient recycling and drives up emissions associated with transporting food. In addition, urban centers can develop “food deserts” where residents can’t purchase nutritious food close to home. One potential solution is urban agriculture, which repurposes space within cities—such as vacant lots and rooftops—to grow crops. Christine Costello, PhD, an assistant professor of industrial ecology and a research associate at the Rock Ethics Institute at Pennsylvania State University, and colleagues wanted to know the impact urban agriculture has on enabling people living within a range of distances from Chicago’s center to eat local food, while also meeting their complete nutritional needs.

The team considered 28 nutrients, the amount of available land, a variety of crops and livestock, a range of crop yields, and both conventional and urban agriculture in the analysis. They drew circles on a map around Chicago with increasing radii, up to 400 miles, the maximum distance the US government deems “local.” Within that perimeter around Chicago, no mix of locally raised crops and livestock could satisfy all nutritional needs of the population. However, if vitamins D and B12 could be provided as supplements, a radius as small as 65 miles was sufficient. Urban agriculture could provide an important nutritional benefit by increasing diet diversity and availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. But it would only slightly reduce the radius (and land area) needed for supplying nearly complete nutrition locally, the researchers say.

— Source: American Chemical Society