Diet and Perception

The dietary intake of whole grains in children remains insufficient, leading to negative health impacts. Intervention research is focusing on ‘nudging’ as a method to alter food choices by subconsciously modulating behavior. In this between-subjects study by van Kleef et al. (2014), the authors investigated if the shape of bread rolls can alter children’s bread choices from white to whole wheat bread, in an attempt to increase breakfast whole grain intake. Twelve primary schools participated in this study (encompassing 1,113 children) and presented a variety of white and whole wheat bread rolls to children of different shapes (regular versus ‘fun’ shapes) and gave the children free rein in choice and number of bread rolls in addition to toppings, and collected survey responses from children about their breakfast meal. Analysis of the results revealed that most children consumed white bread rolls (76%), irrespective of shape. However, ‘fun’-shaped whole wheat roll consumption led to an increase in overall whole wheat bread intake by two folds, especially if given alongside regular shaped white bread rolls, potentially due to the enhancement in pleasure perception and taste. Thus, the authors conclude that providing children with whole wheat bread rolls in ‘fun’ shapes can improve dietary consumption, and that more research should be conducted to investigate the impact of visual improvement on healthy food consumption and the sustainability of healthy dietary behaviors.