ABSTRACT
The main food component on which a food’s health reputation is based is the food’s fat content at the expense of other essential nutrients. Fat content was considered the most important characteristic when evaluating the healthfulness of foods by both men and women. The healthfulness rating of a food name was frequently very different from the healthfulness rating of the same food’s nutrient description. It has been argued that the healthfulness of some food nutrients get exaggerated at the expense of other nutrients. The students assessed the food names using a mainstream approach to food healthfulness but the mainstream theme regarding food healthfulness was much less evident in the assessments of food descriptions. Foods like potatoes and pasta are thought to be too easily digested and thus, cause extreme spikes in blood sugar levels, which according to one hypothesis is conducive to overeating, obesity, and disease.
