Effect Of Meditation On Healthy Food Consumption

Project Summary

The reduction of health risks resulting from poor nutritional behavior is one of the great challenges of modern Western societies. Diets too high in consumption of salt, fat and sugar are the consequence of poor dietary patterns. Malnutrition, which includes overweight and obesity, costs society severely; it strains the healthcare system, negatively impacts quality of life, and leads to a host of negative economic outcomes. One factor that leads to poor food choices is stress. Research shows that higher stress levels cause the stress hormone, cortisol, to increase. An increase in cortisol leads to increased appetite, poor food choices, and increased cravings of “comfort food” characterized by poor nutritional profiles. Lower cortisol levels are linked to healthier food consumption. One way to reduce cortisol is meditation, hence a quantification between meditation and healthy food consumption is needed. Thus, the long-term goal of this project is to identify approaches, such as meditation, that result in healthier food consumption behavior. Specifically, this research examines meditation techniques hypothesized to positively impact consumption of healthy foods. The main objective is to determine whether meditation techniques can lead to healthier food choice and consumption by lowering individuals’ levels of perceived stress and the stress hormone cortisol. To do so, a series of consumer studies is conducted to measure the effect of meditation-induced changes in cortisol on food choice and intake, and determining healthy food diversity and related dietary quality. The developed meditation tools will be made available to the public after testing.

Funding Information:

U.S. Department of Agriculture; Agriculture and Food Research Initiative; Award Number: 2023-67023-40093