RESULTS Our findings suggest that consumers have a relatively poor underst and ing of a healthy diet .
The literature also demonstrates that there is poor evidence on the health protective effects of single foods or nutrients .
We further show that low SES is the single consistent risk factor for not adhering to a healthy diet .
Our review of the literature on determinants demonstrates that intentions , habits , self-regulatory skills , and the social and physical environment are the most important determinants of a healthy diet , which are in turn amenable to change by intervention strategies with varying levels of effectiveness .
Educational interventions generally show a limited effect on practising a healthy diet whereas interventions targeting habitual behaviour and /or the physical environment seem more promising .
In view of the large number of people who are concerned about their diets and make attempts to change their dietary patterns , we conclude that it is crucial to gain a better underst and ing of both the automatic and environmental influences that are responsible for people not acting upon their good intentions for diet change
OBJECTIVE To discuss healthy diet from a psychological perspective by considering definitions of healthy diet in terms of consumer underst and ing ; the health effects of specific dietary elements in terms of overweight and ( chronic ) illness ; the prevalence of healthy diet ; the psychological and environmental determinants of healthy diet ; and the psychological interventions that have been design ed to promote healthy diet .
Planning and self-efficacy interventions encouraging replacing energy-dense foods intake with fruit and vegetable: A longitudinal experimental study
Objective : This longitudinal experimental study compared effects of self-efficacy , planning and education-based conditions , encouraging adolescents to eat fruit and vegetable in place of energy-dense foods . Design : Data were collected among 506 adolescents ( 13–18 years old ) who were r and omly assigned to control ( n = 181 ) , planning ( n = 153 ) or self-efficacy ( n = 172 ) conditions . Measurements were taken at baseline ( T1 ) , at a 2-month follow-up ( T2 ) , and at a 14-month follow-up ( T3 ) . Interventions /control group procedures were delivered at T1 and T2 . Outcome measures : Self-reports of fruit and vegetable intake ( FVI ) and energy-dense foods intake were collected at three times . Cognitive mediators ( self-efficacy and planning ) were assessed at T1 and T2 . Body weight and height were objective ly measured at T1 and T3 . Results and conclusions : Similar significant increases of FVI were found for  planning  and  self-efficacy  interventions ( T3 ) . The planning intervention did not influence energy-dense food intake ( T3 ) , but the self-efficacy intervention tended to result in stabilising intake ( compared to an increase found in the control group ) . There were no effects on body weight . Similar patterns were found for the total sample and for a sub sample of adolescents with overweight/obesity . The effects of interventions on FVI were mediated by respective cognitions
RESULTS Our findings suggest that consumers have a relatively poor underst and ing of a healthy diet .
The literature also demonstrates that there is poor evidence on the health protective effects of single foods or nutrients .
We further show that low SES is the single consistent risk factor for not adhering to a healthy diet .
Our review of the literature on determinants demonstrates that intentions , habits , self-regulatory skills , and the social and physical environment are the most important determinants of a healthy diet , which are in turn amenable to change by intervention strategies with varying levels of effectiveness .
Educational interventions generally show a limited effect on practising a healthy diet whereas interventions targeting habitual behaviour and /or the physical environment seem more promising .
In view of the large number of people who are concerned about their diets and make attempts to change their dietary patterns , we conclude that it is crucial to gain a better underst and ing of both the automatic and environmental influences that are responsible for people not acting upon their good intentions for diet change
OBJECTIVE To discuss healthy diet from a psychological perspective by considering definitions of healthy diet in terms of consumer underst and ing ; the health effects of specific dietary elements in terms of overweight and ( chronic ) illness ; the prevalence of healthy diet ; the psychological and environmental determinants of healthy diet ; and the psychological interventions that have been design ed to promote healthy diet .