Thought for food: Individual differences in how food decisions are made

Daily food decisions accumulate to impact physical health, but making choices consistent with longer-term health goals can prove challenging. Prior research has focused predominantly on dampening preferences for highly palatable foods, or exerting self-control, as the mechanism for healthier food choices. Consequently, the range of cognitive strategies for healthy eating, and how they vary with demographic characteristics, remains unclear. Here, a large US sample (N = 1,052) completed an online food rating and choice task, and demographic and eating behavior questionnaires. Participants rated foods across 17 dimensions, which were reduced to three underlying core food attributes by factor analysis: Tastiness, Healthiness, and Umami (capturing food savoriness). All attributes influenced food choices. A multi-attribute drift diffusion model quantified distinct yet latent choice processes, including the deliberation required prior to making a choice. The influence of Tastiness, Healthiness, and Umami on choice varied across the study population. Women, individuals endorsing higher levels of eating restraint, and individuals with lower BMI selected subjectively healthier foods more frequently. Making subjectively healthier choices was not dependent only on engaging self-control. Rather, individuals making subjectively healthier choices perceived subjectively healthier foods as tastier. In addition, individuals endorsing high levels of eating restraint required less deliberation when making choices, suggesting more automatic decision-making. These findings suggest multiple routes to making healthier food choices and question the narrative that food tastiness must be sacrificed to support physical health.