> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What's in a name, and what's on your salad? - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/salad_0421110641/ - Published: 2011-04-21T07:39:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T15:54:55.000Z - Description: A Journal of Consumer Research study found dieters rated the same dish less healthy when it was called pasta rather than salad, and ate more of a confection labeled fruit chews than the identical candy chews. Non-dieters did not sort foods by name this way. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Food, Nutrition, #vivvo-import by Aimee Keenan-Greene Does giving a meal a healthy name, make it seem more nutritious ? A new [study ](https://www.jcr-admin.org/forthcoming.php?issue=44&ref=foodconsumer.org)in the [Journal of Consumer Research ](http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublication?journalCode=jconsrese&ref=foodconsumer.org)says people on diets may be so focused on trying to eat well and lose weight, they are more likely (than non-dieters) to unwittingly choose unhealthy foods just because of their labeling. Participants in one study were presented with a mixture of vegetables, pasta, salami, and cheese, served on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. The item was either identified as 'salad' or 'pasta'. When it was called 'pasta', dieters perceived the same meal as less healthy. In another study, participants were given samples of a product labeled either 'fruit chews' or 'candy chews'. Researchers say dieters perceived the item with an unhealthy name, 'candy chews', to be less healthful and less tasty than non-dieters. As a result, dieters consumed more of the confections when they were called 'fruit chews'. "Over time, dieters learn to focus on simply avoiding foods that they recognize as forbidden based on product name," the authors explain. "Thus, dieters likely assume that an item assigned an unhealthy name, for example pasta, is less healthy than an item assigned a healthy name, for example salad, and they do not spend time considering other product information that might impact their product evaluations." The authors say non-dieters do not learn to avoid foods based on names and, given that they are not focused on healthful eating, are more likely to dismiss cues that imply healthfulness, including name. The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ](http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/AdultObesity/index.html?ref=foodconsumer.org)(CDC) say in 2009, about 2.4 million more adults were obese than in 2007\. In every state, more than 15 percent of adults are obese, and in nine states, over 30 percent of adults are obese. Childhood obesity affects approximately 12.5 million children and teens. Another recent study in the [Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine](http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/3/229?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cereal&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT&ref=foodconsumer.org) looked at this same labeling issue a different way - it concluded cartoon advertising can make a child think their cereal tastes better. In this experimental study, children viewed 1 of 4 professionally created cereal boxes and tasted a ;new' cereal . The boxes had various characters and a healthy or sugary name. Children who saw a popular media character on the box reported liking the cereal more (mean \[SD\], 4.70 \[0.86\]) than those who viewed a box with no character on it (4.16 \[1.24\]). Those who were told the cereal was named 'Healthy Bits' liked the taste more (mean \[SD\], 4.65 \[0.84\]) than children who were told it was named 'Sugar Bits' (4.22 \[1.27\]). Character presence was particularly influential on taste assessments for participants who were told the cereal was named 'Sugar Bits'. Eighty children participated (mean \[SD\] age, 5.6 \[0.96\] years; 53 percent girls) alongside their parents or guardians. Children rated the cereal's taste on a 5-point smiley face scale (1, really do not like; 5, really like). Researchers concluded messages encouraging healthy eating may resonate with young children, but the presence of licensed characters on packaging potentially overrides children's assessments of nutritional merit. Yet another recent study in the December 2010 journal [Pediatrics ](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/search?sortspec=relevance&fulltext=sugar&ref=foodconsumer.org)says children will consume low-sugar cereals when offered, and they provide a superior breakfast option. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the CDC. Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years stood at 19.6 percent in 2008\. Obesity effects 18 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. Obese children are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes, than are other children and adolescents. The medical care costs of obesity in the United States totaled about $147 billion in 2008, according to the CDC. Additional Resources: Source: [University of Chicago Press Journals ](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419111437.htm?utm%5Fsource=feedburner&utm%5Fmedium=feed&utm%5Fcampaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm%5Fcontent=Twitter)(2011, April 19). When a salad is not a salad: Why are dieters easily misled by food names? Authors: Caglar Irmak, University of South Carolina, Beth Vallen, Loyola University, and [Stefanie Rosen Robinson](http://mooreschool.sc.edu/doctoral/alumniplacement/phdcandidatedirectory.aspx?phd%5Fid=52&ref=foodconsumer.org), University of South Carolina - a PhD candidate in marketing interested in consumer prosocial behavior and decision making.