Dieters ‘can be more likely to choose unhealthy foods’

Dieters can be more likely to choose unhealthy foods than those who are not trying to lose weight, a study has shown.

Researchers from the University of South Carolina and Loyola University in the US found that slimmers will often opt for a salad when choosing a meal from a menu, believing it to contain fewer calories than a pasta dish or other alternative.

However, salads now often contain ingredients avoided by those trying to lose weight fast, such as cheese, meat and bread.

“Over time, dieters learn to focus on simply avoiding foods that they recognise as forbidden based on product name,” write the study’s authors Beth Vallen, of Loyola University, and Caglar Irmak and Stefanie Rosen Robinson, both of the University of South Carolina.

Earlier this month, Bighospitality.co.uk reported that restaurant chains YO! Sushi and Pizza Hut are to display calorie counts on their menus later this year, helping those on a diet to choose something that will aid them in shedding a few pounds.

Would you like to see calorie counts on menus?