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Amanda Jenkins
Dr. Lynn Kilpatrick
English 2010
April 30, 2016
How is Nutritional Education Affecting Eating Habits?
Knowledge about nutrition is vital to the health of all people. Even elementary
knowledge can lead to dramatic change. It is interesting to examine the importance of being
taught healthy eating from a young age. An adult instructing a child to eat vegetables, and
explaining the reasons why candy is only for moderation, if at all, can effect generations to
come. While others have the opportunity to study about nutrition in an academic setting, which
leads to them being more aware of what true value their food is providing them. Many others
are mindless eaters, absently unaware of the effects food will contribute to their lives. The
culture of convenience food is clearly abundant in an ever increasing magnitude. Daily decisions
between convenience and health are at war daily, yet many still succumb to the ease of
unhealthy food.
A study by Jeffery C. Little, et al., Effect of Nutrition Supplement Education on Nutrition
Supplement Knowledge among High School Students from a Low-Income Community, Little et
al. discusses research about the effects low education levels impact low income communities
regarding nutritional choices. Little et al. conducted an experiment which highlighted the
rewards gained with minimal amount of nutritional education provided to high school students
residing within the low income community. Little and his companions discuss how they took

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thirty nine high school students and divided them in to two groups, the first being experimental
and the second being the control group. Overall findings demonstrate the relevance short term
nutritional education plays in improving the students knowledge of nutrition. The study went
on to demonstrate the value of teaching students while they are still young. Data is provided
showing the link that the knowledge students gain about nutrition directly leads to better their
future eating habits, which has the power to change generations to come.
Jeffery C. Little, Danielle R. Perry both were graduate students majoring in Nutrition,
along with Stella Lucia Volpe, Associate Professor in the department of Nutrition at the time
this research was conducted. All three desired to influence high school adolescents nutritional
decisions in a positive manor. Providing the insight to understand what food presents the
optimal value for healthy living. This study provides creditable because the researchers are
highly trained in the realm of Nutrition, and do not hold a bias. The research was purely
academic and sought to discover the best possible result for the high school students. The first
study by Little et al, describes taking thirty-nine students, then separating them into two
separate groups, then continuing on by describing the parameters the research was conducted
by (Little 435). This naturally concludes that a short-term nutrition education program can
significantly improve nutrition supplement knowledge (Little 449). The students became
empowered with this newfound knowledge base regarding food. This academically imperative
study demonstrates the key to consuming healthier food: knowledge. With the absence of
knowledge there lies no motivation for improved food selections.
In The Pitfall of Plenty by Joy Milligan, it is explained that when Milligans patients go on
temporary diets, in the end they still possess a detrimental relationship with food. The growing

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number of fast food restaurants creates a major struggle with these people, especially those
overweight. Milligan also shares of patients who came for weight loss consultations. Many
patients came with fixed beliefs, thinking that if fast food is avoided entirely, then weight will
melt off with lasting effects. This is false. After a crash diet of this sort, the patient will return to
old habits. Not only does the desired weight lose not become reality, the patient does not learn
to exercise control either. Milligan states that in our day with plenty of food, it can be difficult
to have control.
Joy Milligans expertize comes from her nursing background. As a nurse she had many
experiences with patients who needed dietary advice, due to excess weight. Milligan desired to
help others develop healthy relationships with food. While Milligan never conducted studies,
her point of view and credibility was acquired by frequent experiences with patients. Milligan
states that one patient said just take me away from food and I wont overeat. (Milligan 26).
Milligan also addresses the clear fact that on every corner there is a different fast food
restaurant, making it difficult for those possessing an unhealthy relationship with food.
Communities all over the place have encouraged the ease of unhealthy food. Milligans work as
a nurse provided opportunities to learn from patients, concluding that in a country full of plenty
everyone is in need of self-control.
The study, Emotional Ability Training and Mindful Eating, Blair Kidwell et al. explains
that emotional ability training promotes mindfulness with food intake. This in turn helps people
conquer negative food connotations. Blair Kidwell et al. uses this concept of emotional ability
training to help people create a focus regarding the importance of emotional information. It is
continued by explaining the results of four different studies. It was found that teaching people

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emotional ability can improve their food decision making process more powerfully than that of
nutritional knowledge training. Emotional ability is explained as strengthening peoples ability
to focus on goal-relevant emotional information. Kidwell et al. stated that people are habitually
mindless eaters, and that if they can become more mindful of their food choices they can
become healthier by making better choices. It is also stated that through the development of
emotional ability training anyone is able to gain control over difficult food choices.
Blair Kidwell, Jonathan Hasford are both assistant professors of marketing, along with
David M. Hardesty who is a professor of marketing. Kidwell et al. cites the study conducted by
these professors, about how to help people gain control of eating habits. This happens by
simply by being aware of ones own emotions, and the marketing environment around us
(Kidwell 105). Unlike Milligan who viewed the problem from a health perspective, Kidwell et al.
viewed it from a marketing view point. This suggests that advertisements can influence our
food choices. Four different studies were provided to help demonstrate different aspects of
mindful eating. The first three focused on emotional ability training and nutrition knowledge
training, and in the fourth study it is shown the long term benefits of emotional ability training.
Having four different studies helps to establish credibly, with each study supporting the next.
In conclusion, these three articles suggest that education is the key to creating healthy
and lasting change to food habits. Littles study discusses how educating low-income students
about nutrition left them with significantly higher potential to create healthy eating habits. This
knowledge helps them decipher what is good for the body and what changes need to be
implemented. However having the knowledge doesnt always change personal habits. It is good
to consider Milligans position that even when people are empowered with nutritional

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knowledge, it can still be difficult to change old and familiar habits. Many of Milligans patients
held the fixed belief that a quick fix diet would burn off the weight, and lead to permanent
weight loss. Yet, when the diet is over old habits are again practiced, and the lost weight was
destined to return. In Kidwell et al. study the importance of emotional ability training was
presented and it was shown that emotional ability training is able to change eating habits
better than just nutritional knowledge. This study points out that everyone needs to be getting
a nutrition education in order to change habits. Simply knowing good nutrition is sometimes
not enough. Teaching children from a young age can change generations. Knowing impact can
make it easier to make optimal nutritional choices
Changing our eating habits can be difficult; however with the correct knowledge and
self-control everyone is able to implement it. Nutritional knowledge is especially important at a
young age. It proves that having the right education about how to build good eating habits is
the absolute most critical aspect of nutritional education. Having goal oriented training with the
knowledge of good nutrition, has the power to change our unhealthy eating habits to healthy
ones. It is important to obtain emotional ability training and teaching the body self-control, this
is the path that can transform anyones relationship with food.

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Works Cited
Blair Kidwell, Jonathan Hasford, and David M. Hardesty. "Emotional Ability Training And Mindful Eating."
Journal Of Marketing Research 52.1 February 2015: 105-119. Print.
Jeffery C. Little, Danielle R. Perry, Stella Lucia Volpe. "Effect of Nutrition Supplement Education on
Nutrition Supplement Knowlege Among High School Students from a Low-Income Community."
Journal of Community Health December 2002: 433-450. Print.
Milligan, Joy. "The Pitfall of Plenty." Nursing Standard 23 March 2011: 26-27. Print.