Do you ‘eat to live’ or ‘live to eat’? Our appetite, or the desire for food, is an important signal for eating, but this isn’t fixed and can change as we age. Eating most of our calories in the evening may also be linked to obesity.
As our lifestyles have become more demanding and irregular, so have our meal patterns. The processes are not entirely clear, but it could be that inconsistent or unusual eating patterns, working night shifts, and jet lag can disrupt our internal body clock, which in turn affects our appetites and digestion. Research from the Rowett has begun to show that disrupting these internal clocks can also cause changes in hormones and physiology which can contribute to health issues and weight gain. It is also likely that when we eat irregularly or skip meals, we tend to choose less healthy foods or larger portions.
To discuss many of these issues with the food and drink industry, a meeting was organised between Interface and Food and Drink Federation Scotland. This event provided an opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to explore how we can help people make healthier choices by sharing evidence-based research.
Would you like to read more? Our full blog was originally posted here
This work was conducted by Professor Alex Johnstone
Research funded by the Scottish Government as part of the Strategic Research Programme