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The interaction between mood, dietary restraint, and emotion regulation on snack food choice and consumption: A naturalistic food diary study
This research investigates the complex interplay between dietary restraint, emotional states, and snack consumption. Utilizing a seven-day naturalistic snack diary method, the study involved 155 women who documented their mood and snack intake daily. Findings revealed that negative mood states significantly increased unhealthy snack consumption among restrained eaters as opposed to their unrestrained counterparts, indicating that emotional distress can undermine dietary control. Interestingly, emotion regulation played a limited role in moderating this relationship, suggesting that a restrained eater’s capacity to understand and manage their emotions is more crucial in influencing their snacking behavior. Furthermore, trait affect did not significantly interact with dietary restraint to affect eating behavior, underscoring that immediate emotional states exert a more potent influence on dietary adherence than stable emotional characteristics. These insights emphasize the importance of enhancing emotional awareness and real-time mood management as potential intervention strategies for promoting sustainable weight management. [NPID: Restraint, emotional state, snacks]
Year: 2026
