Wednesday, June 11, 2014

No, Low-Fat Doughnuts Aren't Going to Cure Obesity

Sigh.

I had many people send me a piece from the Ottawa Citizen entitled, "People line up for Almonte inventor's lower-fat doughnuts" that included their inventor Ed Atwell's unopposed comment,
"I believe this is a technology that is going to curb if not eliminate the obesity epidemic"
I guess he's never read any of Brian Wansink's work that suggests the doughnuts' "low-fat" label will likely contribute to obesity's rise, rather than help it's fall. Why? Because the label and the story provide a health-halo that the evidence would suggest will lead people to consume more calories from these purportedly "healthy" or at the very least, "healthier" doughnuts than if they just hit the full strength versions (something to which the store's out the door lineup to buy speaks directly).

My favourite part of the story though has to be the nutritional information disclosure.

Apparently Ed's average obesity-fighting miracle doughnut contains 190 calories.

Want to know how many calories are in Tim Horton's classic chocolate dip?

190.

Blargh!