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Whether it be a chocolate bar, a bag of sweets, or a packet of crisps, we are all occasionally partial to junk food over a healthy alternative. It gives us a sugar boost, and is usually quick and easy. In their quest to deter unhealthy eating, health psychologists have developed a vending machine that rewards a healthy choice of snack. Professor Brad Appelhans has long advocated healthier eating habits early in life, and discourages waiting until later on to make any belated lifestyle changes. In developed countries with good sanitation and healthcare, unhealthy eating represents a significant contributor to overall deaths. One of the ways some governments have tried to discourage this is with a financial deterrent, a sugar tax that makes unhealthy snacks more expensive. Appelhans hopes the aforementioned vending machine is another way to accomplish this. Appelhans’s idea stemmed from his observation that staff would not use an automated door at work due to the fact that it was labeled as having a three-second delay.
Using his hypothesis that a delay may make people less inclined to use it, he invented the vending machine that makes junk food a less instant choice. He hoped that such a delay would eventually encourage people to almost exclusively pick the healthy option. This new creation he labeled the Delays to Influence Snack Choice (DISC) vending machine. These DISC machines dispense healthy food instantaneously, however, junk and unhealthy foods are subject to a 25-second delay. Data from how this affected choice tendency was analyzed and the results looked promising. The delay did have a notable effect on the frequency with which healthy foods were selected, with an increase of 3-5% seen in the Chicago areas in which the machines were situated. Furthermore, the sales figures for the machines didn’t observably change, meaning the increase must stem from consumers switching to healthier alternatives to avoid the extra weight. With initial evidence showing promise, will DISC vending machines become the new norm?
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The Real Reasons Why Fast Food is Bad for Kids
There’s a saying in business: “If you want it good, it won’t be fast. If you want it fast, it won’t be good.” It’s about the quality of work done but it’s just as applicable to food too. We know that fast food isn’t good for us. Even before Supersize Me hit movie theaters, it was an uncomfortable truth that although it was convenient, those meals weren’t doing our bodies any favors. Despite their attempts to broaden menus with fruit and lower-calorie options, the burger giants still face criticism based on what they offer. It’s unsurprising. A regular diet of fast food for children is bad for them. It means they won’t be getting the essential vitamins and minerals that they need to grow up strong and healthy. A burger meal also contains the kind of additives which can bring about addiction to these kinds of food, which is going to cause problems in later life.
As well as the effects on the inside of the body, what this kind of food also does to the outside must also be noted. We know that fast food causes obesity and this can trigger all kinds of psychological problems too, from depression and isolation to the continued inability to participate in school gym classes. The schoolyard can be a harsh enough place as it is without adding any other potential weaknesses into the mix. Give your kids a balanced diet to keep them healthy and active. Another well-known saying is “Give me the boy and I’ll show you the man,” which is all about how important childhood is in our development into adults. This also applies here, because it’s your job as a parent to bring up a well-balanced child who can make informed decisions for themselves about what they eat and how they eat it. It’s a tough responsibility but it’s one that you can manage. The power is in your hands to give your child a happy and fulfilling life!
