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Restricted pleasure for healthy
eating and food well-being
Restricted
pleasure for
healthy eating
Tonya Williams Bradford
Marketing Department, Paul Merage School of Business, University of California,
Irvine, California, USA, and
Sonya Grier
Marketing Department, Kogod School of Business, American University,
Washington, DC, USA
557
Received 9 November 2018
Revised 9 November 2018
Accepted 26 November 2018
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of dietary restriction and food well-being
(FWB) in an under-researched population using a novel but growing approach to transition to healthier eating
patterns.
Design/methodology/approach – This study uses individual interviews of African-American
participants in a food detoxification program, a specific form of food restriction used to transition to healthier
eating.
Findings – Results identify how food socialization and food literacy enable individuals to transform their
relationship with food and enhance their FWB. Unlike prior research that focuses on food as the source of
pleasure, this study finds that food is deployed as fuel, and this transition results in pleasure.
Originality/value – This research explains how a voluntary transition to healthier eating enables people
to pursue FWB and extends the understanding of FWB (Block et al., 2011). In addition, this research
contributes novel insights related to transformative consumer research efforts to motivate change. Findings
have implications for marketing theory and practice, including the development of social marketing
campaigns to support healthy eating patterns, especially for at-risk populations.
Keywords Healthy eating, Food socialization, Food well-being, Detoxification programmes,
Food literacy, Health eating, Raw foods, Food restriction, Diet
Paper type Research paper
The very first [detox I did] [. . .] I lost about 15 pounds [. . .]. A lot of things were just real positive
[. . .]. Vegas
Food is center stage in cultures worldwide. Gourmet options, “foodie” culture, food tourism,
celebrity chefs, “food porn” and other trends highlighting notions of pleasure from eating
are prevalent (Kozinets et al., 2017; Cornil and Chandon, 2016; Zarantonello and Luomala,
2011). Simultaneously, dietary excesses are a significant contributor to increases in obesity,
diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions (Nestle, 1999). Thus, societies worldwide
are struggling with how to encourage healthier eating. Many consumers, like the informant
Vegas, try dietary restrictions to transition to healthier eating. Consumers are shifting away
from processed foods toward natural, organic and whole foods (Agnese, 2017; Thompson
and Coskuner-Balli, 2007). There is an increase in specialty diets (e.g. vegan, raw and glutenThe authors would like to thank all study participants who gave of their time and shared their
experiences with us. We would also like to thank the Detox program leader, who allowed us to sit in
on The Program.
Qualitative Market Research: An
International Journal
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2019
pp. 557-569
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1352-2752
DOI 10.1108/QMR-11-2018-0131
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free), with 49 per cent of Americans noting that they follow such a diet (Xavier, 2018). A
survey found that 10 per cent of people use intermittent fasting, with almost 5 per cent using
detoxes regularly (International Food Information Council Foundation, 2018).
However, many consumers prefer not to compromise taste for health. Taste is a key
aspect of the pleasure derived from food and pleasure is an important influence on food
choice (Freeland-Graves and Nitzke, 2013; Cornil and Chandon, 2016). The loss of pleasure
through restricted eating patterns may thus serve as a barrier to healthy eating. And food
marketing may reinforce this barrier. Food marketing tends to emphasize hedonistic and
emotional appeals, whereas food marketing for healthy eating tends to adopt more
educational and informative approaches (Bublitz and Peracchio, 2015). And the focus of
many marketing interventions designed to foster healthy eating emphasizes particular foods
(e.g. vegetables), health-related food attributes (e.g. fiber), or invokes consumer “heath
consciousness” (Rekhy and McConchie, 2014; Carins and Rundle-Thiele, 2013). Healthy
foods are generally conceptualized as medicinal, viewed as necessary, and to be avoided.
Further, there is scant promotion relating to hedonic experiences with healthy eating (Cornil
and Chandon, 2016; Pettigrew, 2016).
This paper uses depth interviews of participants in a detoxification program, as the focal
dietary transition, to study the relationship between restrictive eating patterns and food
well-being (FWB). Where prior research finds negative associations with food restriction
(Rhee et al., 2006), this study finds that food restriction supported by food socialization and
food literacy can contribute to enhanced FWB. Understanding the experience of dietary
transition is crucial to promoting healthier food consumption patterns, reducing disease and
contributing to individual and societal-level FWB. This research yields novel insights that
expand our understanding of FWB and inform practical efforts by marketers, policymakers
and public health professionals to support healthier food consumption.
Background
Individuals consume food for more than nutrients (Block et al., 2011). Food involves pleasure
driven by a consumer “anticipating, consuming, and experiencing the rewards associated with
food” (Pettigrew, 2016). Pleasure from food is typically associated with epicurean offerings;
however, the multisensory nature of food may enable healthier options being perceived as
pleasurable (Cornil and Chandon, 2016). The FWB model advocates for a paradigm shift
where the relationship with food is considered a multidimensional construct that relates to
overall well-being and recognizes the importance of pleasure (Block et al., 2011). Given that
healthy eating is associated with improved well-being, it is important to understand how
perceptions of pleasure factor into consumer embrace of healthy dietary patterns.
The concept of FWB involves a positive psychological, physical, emotional and social
relationship with food at both individual and societal levels (Block et al., 2011). FWB is
comprised of five key dimensions which capture the multiplicity of influences on peoples’
relationships with food: food socialization, food literacy, food marketing, food availability
and food policy. For example, food consumption is often associated with family and other
social interactions and highlights issues of food socialization (Bradford et al., 2012;
Cappellini and Parsons, 2012; Block et al., 2011). The FWB model also describes how food
marketing has significant influence on people’s perceptions and consumption of food (Block
et al., 2011). Repeated dietary patterns may be much harder to break given that “visual
presentation, smell and associated memory with food generate food cues that influence
individuals’ decision to ‘want’ a particular food” (Higgs, 2016). Of course, beliefs and
behaviors about food choice are highly variable owing to individual, social and cultural
forces, as well as context (Bisogni et al., 2002; Sirsi et al., 1996; Vignolles and Pichon, 2014).
Thus, motivations for eating patterns are multiple, diverse, complex and interrelated.
Transitioning to healthier eating patterns may involve the adoption of restrictive diets.
Consider the increasing number of consumers such as “raw foodists” who only eat foods
that are uncooked or detoxers who use specific foods to cleanse the body in an attempt to
transition to healthier eating. These consumers adopt or eliminate certain foods with the
hopes of attaining health benefits not possible with traditional diets. However, displeasure
may manifest when food consumption is constrained. Research demonstrates that restricted
eating may decrease emotional and physical well-being (Appleton and McGowan, 2006;
Finkelstein and Fishbach, 2010). More specifically, food restriction is related to increased
anxiety, irritability and negative emotions (McFarlane et al., 1999; Appleton and McGowan,
2006). Further, mandated healthy eating increases perceived hunger, although freely
choosing healthy foods does not (Finkelstein and Fishbach, 2010). In summary, restrictions
around eating tend to detract from the pleasure of freely choosing one’s own foods.
At the same time, the transition to healthier eating involves changing not only dietary
patterns, but also changing people’s relationship with food and its multiple facets.
Therefore, we would expect that they utilize one or more of the FWB dimensions (e.g. food
socialization, food literacy, food marketing, food availability and food policy) as they work
to enhance their FWB. For example, prior research shows that people are more likely to
make healthier choices when they have greater nutrition knowledge (Block et al., 2011).
Thus, we would expect that individuals looking to change their eating habits would likely
pursue increased food literacy. Individuals following restrictive dietary patterns may also
find support with commercially marketed products, restaurants, classes and institutes,
retreats and support communities (Walker, 2005; Sirsi et al., 1996; Bradford et al., 2017). As a
result, the achievement of changes in eating patterns may lead to pleasure distinct from the
displeasure typically associated with food restrictions as people work to enhance their FWB.
The present study explores these relationships.
Methodology
Research setting
This paper explores food restriction through detoxification diets, “detox.” Detox is a process
that cleanses the body of toxic substances accumulated through food and the environment
(Dell, 2006). The basic notion underlying such programs is that some types of foods and
substances cause a polluted bodily state which can be remedied through cleansing (Mullin,
2010). Before detox became commercialized, they were conducted on patients with high levels
of poisons such as alcohol, drugs or other toxic substances (Canclini, 2001; Harvard Women’s
Health Watch, 2008). Detox has become a popular dietary transition approach for healthier
eating. Recently, registered dieticians noted an increase in detox diet questions from clients,
and 20 per cent reported recommending a detox diet (Herbold and Mulvaney, 2014). Detoxes
are marketed as products (e.g. juices and capsules), services (e.g. instructional programs), or in
some combination, by health and wellness practitioners, nutraceutical firms and celebrities.
Within the United States, several detox programs are available (e.g. retail offerings and
informal groups). The focal detox (Program) for this study is in a major Midwestern city.
The Program is part of a center organized around a raw foods lifestyle that includes a health
spa, café and sit-down restaurant. The Program emphasizes the adoption of a healthier
lifestyle through dietary modifications (e.g. animal to plant-based protein), supplementation
and holistic therapies to address issues such as weight, dermatitis and fibromyalgia. The
Program encompasses a class that meets weekly for two hours over four weeks, with
sessions occurring throughout the year.
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Study participants
This study included 13 self-identified African-American Program participants. Some detox
communities, particularly in major cities (e.g. Atlanta, WA and DC) are comprised primarily
of ethnic minorities. The transition to healthier eating is especially important for ethnic
minorities who are at the highest risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. For example,
recent national data show that Black women have a substantially higher prevalence of
obesity (54.8 per cent) than Mexican-American women (50.6 per cent) and White women
(38 per cent) and that type 2 diabetes among African Americans is 1.6 times higher than that
of the total US population (Hales et al., 2017). Recent research also highlights the need for
investigations which include diverse racial groups (Grier et al., 2019). The paucity of
literature combined with demographic changes, especially the shift to “majority–minority”
consumer markets, emphasizes the importance of research which includes members of less
commonly studied groups. Thus, the aim is to include a population where data are needed to
advance practical and theoretical understanding.
Data collection
Participants were recruited in multiple ways. The second author posted flyers in the
Program’s café, made announcements at the beginning of several four-week sessions
and used snowball sampling. Each author also completed detoxes, similar to the
Program.
Depth interviews were conducted by the second author. The interviews began with
grand-tour questions (McCracken, 1988), including early experiences and beliefs about
eating patterns. Interviews continued with experiences of the Program, its role in their life
and its impact on post-Program eating patterns. Interviews were audiotaped and
transcribed. That data were complemented by field notes captured through Program
meetings, events, review of Program materials (e.g. instructional booklets and promotional
materials) and informal interviews with experts (e.g. the program founder). Pseudonyms,
selected by the informants, were used (Table I).
Pseudonym
Table I.
Informants
Age range
Gender
Education
Income
Profession
Jane
Lana
Umtazi
56þ
46-55
56þ
Female
Female
Female
Masters
Masters
Masters
100Kþ
50-75K
75-100K
Raw Fitness
56þ
Female
Bachelors
100Kþ
Vegas
Sasha
TLC
Ro
Nikki
Olivia
56þ
36-45
36-45
36-45
36-45
56þ
Male
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Some College
Bachelors
Masters
Masters
Bachelors
Masters
100Kþ
100Kþ
100Kþ
100Kþ
75-100K
100Kþ
Roscoe Blue
Rianne
Corey
46-55
36-45
46-55
Male
Female
Male
Bachelors
Bachelors
Bachelors
25-49K
50-75K
50-75K
Judge
Teacher
Social enterprise
business consultant
Healthy eating
specialist, raw food
coach and fitness trainer
Technology consultant
TV producer
Self-employed
Consultant
Business agent
President of an
organization
Retired
Sales associate
Entrepreneur
# of detoxes
3
2
4
20þ
20þ
1
20þ
4
1
1
4
2
3
Data analysis
Analysis was made by the first author. Interview transcripts and field notes provided the
basis for the analysis and interpretation. Codes were generated from the consumer research
and marketing literature in health, policy and food consumption, as well as from emic terms.
Diachronic and synchronic analyses were performed (Thompson, 1997). Emergent themes
were identified through an iterative process comprising readings of the transcripts, the
coded data and the literature (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Data collection and analysis
continued until redundancy was achieved.
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Consuming healthy food to attain food well-being
The participants in our study experience detox as a process of transforming their
relationship with food to enhance their FWB (Figure 1). Unlike prior research that focused
on food as the source of pleasure, this study finds that food is deployed as a tool to attain
FWB, and the achievement of enhanced FWB results in pleasure. In addition, our
participants’ narratives show how they use two specific components of FWB, food
socialization and food literacy in their transition to healthier eating. Although this process
enhances participants’ FWB, they may also backslide (i.e. slowly reintroduce aspects of
traditional eating patterns) and repeat the process. These findings are presented in three
themes emerging from the interview data that loosely depict the transformational process:
food as fuel, fuel for FWB and FWB as lifestyle. Informant quotes are nested within one
theme; yet, they often support additional ones.
Food as fuel
Extant research finds that food socialization begins in childhood and may inform a
lifetime of eating patterns (Block et al., 2011; Mochis, 1985; Vignolles and Pichon, 2014).
Many informants share childhood mealtime memories underpinning food beliefs and
experiences. The Program serves as socialization wherein they confront implicit
understandings of food and transform those understandings through physical, mental
and emotional detoxification.
When learning about new or different ways to relate to food, the informants vacillate
between who they are as their physical self and how they think about their body functions.
These conceptualizations are evident as individuals ponder detox:
Just like a car, if you change the oil, your car lasts a long time. Change all the fluids every three
months, same way with our body. – Roscoe
Although many informants make a transition to understanding their body as a machine to
be maintained, they also reflect on the role of food in that maintenance. The initial Program
Figure 1.
Food restriction as
transition to healthier
eating patterns
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phase encompasses education that challenges lifelong beliefs and practices gained from
trusted sources. Where childhood food socialization is most often implicit, the Program is
explicit in socializing and educating these adult participants through prescribed eating
patterns. The increased food literacy and socialization support the adoption of new
understandings of healthy foods as a particular type of fuel.
The Program’s socialization process provides an opportunity to contemplate past eating
patterns and anticipate future ones. Many informants think about how family norms
influenced their eating patterns. They are aware that family socialization and context each
contribute to their food use (Vignolles and Pichon, 2014; Zarantonello and Luomala, 2011),
and the Program challenges them to examine those experiences:
I used to [eat for comfort], and I see other people do it [. . .] When babies cry, we try to stick
something in their mouth [. . .] [food is] always a security blanket [. . .] You can’t just put anything
in your body and think you’re going to be okay. – Nikki
Thus, this transition supports evolved eating patterns and influences present and future
health.
Education facilitates the reframing of food as fuel throughout the detox and also inspires
other behavioral changes. Results of increased food literacy are evident in food preparation,
and they support the adoption of new eating patterns:
I didn’t know [. . .] that [we] were killing [our food] [. . .] cooking the food all the way to well-done
[. . .] [C]oming from the South, greens were cooked until they [were] limp. [. . .] [N]ow [. . .] I sauté
my collard greens [. . .] so they’re still crunchy. So I’m not killing everything in them. – Ro
Program participants are instructed to alter eating patterns by eliminating certain types of
foods to release toxins. For our informant, Ro, such instruction includes changes to food and
food preparation. The instruction serves as food socialization (Block et al., 2011) and may
overwrite prior eating pattern socialization.
Our participants’ narratives show that food socialization through the Program is
accompanied by food literacy. Block et al. (2011) identified three components to food literacy:
conceptual knowledge; procedural knowledge; and ability, opportunity and motivation to
act. The conceptual component reflects nutritional knowledge acquisition and
comprehension. Procedural knowledge comprises applying those learnings to food choice,
consumption and related practices such as food shopping. Ability evinces as individuals
progress through (and repeat) the detox program restrictions regarding specific foods.
Socialization prepares individuals for side effects (e.g. hives, headaches and anxiety), which
make the release experience prominent. Side effects are tolerated, even embraced, as
indicators of progress toward improved health.
Fuel for food well-being
Detox is described as a physical and emotional experiences by the informants. The physical
experience is most often evident in changes to weight and improvements in health
conditions. The emotional experience emerges in the transition from food knowledge
garnered from loved ones (e.g. mothers) to new understandings of food. The emotional (and
often spiritual) transition supports the physical manifestation of the detox:
I think detoxing is great for the body and life. It makes me feel great [. . .]. I feel like I’m more
intuitive. I’m more discerning [. . .]. I feel like I’m more connected to my inner spirit, the God in me.
I just feel like I’m more connected. – TLC
TLC, like many of these informants, detoxes periodically. Where the initial detox may be
undertaken to address specific health issues (e.g. weight, hypertension and dermatitis),
subsequent detoxes more often reflect a desire to recapture unexpected mental and
emotional benefits emerging from revised relationships with food.
The socialization which underlies the Program also influences how individuals engage
with others through food. Some informants reflect on how social situations may both
support and challenge their revised eating patterns:
[T]hrough the detoxing, of course I felt great. I looked great, and everybody was going, ‘Oh my
god, you just look so good!’ So that was motivation to keep it going. But, of course, I would go
back to my old social situations, and then I wasn’t able to maintain it [. . .]. Raw Fitness
The transformation from food as comfort or entertainment to fuel is a significant milestone in
the Program and is central to the transition. These informants share how the detox program
provides food socialization and improves food literacy. Further, a key to food literacy is the
ability, opportunity and motivation to act on the knowledge. Repeated detoxes may result
from backsliding, i.e. not maintaining the newly acquired healthy eating patterns, as Raw
Fitness describes above. More generally, our participants’ narratives suggest that Program
repetition stems from a desire to maintain, recapture or further enhance FWB. These
individuals gain socialization and literacy through the initial detox, and subsequent
participation provides continued support for their changing relationship with food.
These informants come to view food as fuel which engenders FWB. Another informant,
Dana, shares the benefits sought through detox. Her commitment to the Program is a radical
departure from childhood:
The reason why I got more focused on [detoxing] was because I know as you age, your ecosystem ages. If it’s not eliminating properly, it doesn’t have the right nutrients, it doesn’t get the
right amount of exercise, it can accelerate the natural aging process. So, I figured if I’m keeping
the internal plumbing clean [. . .] all of those internal eco-systems get a chance to regenerate
because they get that waste out of it. – Dana
As individuals realize health benefits from detox, they begin to pursue other benefits that
align with FWB. This transformation in the relationship with food results from the
Program’s food socialization and food literacy which together drive healthier eating
patterns.
These informants acknowledge that their familial food socialization resulted in less
healthy eating patterns. The Program provides food resocialization and increases food
literacy through education and specific practices. That socialization and literacy alter
perspectives and choices may provide an opportunity for marketers and policymakers to
promote healthier eating patterns.
Food well-being as lifestyle
The present research finds that individuals who adopt voluntary food restriction embrace a
positive psychological, physical, emotional and social relationship with food while striving
to maintain detox benefits. Individuals conduct detox primarily in their home environment,
with significant control over food consumption, and learn to sustain new eating patterns
beyond the home. This is most evident when they visit family members who retain
traditional eating patterns:
I was born in Mississippi. I love Mississippi. I’m going to go next week, I can’t wait [. . .] [I] don’t
want [. . .] to eat all those greasy foods [. . .] I just don’t allow myself to do that. So you have to
have some self-control. – Olivia
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Olivia expresses how the meaning of food is transformed in her pursuit of FWB, such that
healthier eating patterns are now a lifestyle. Her enhanced food literacy allows her to
anticipate and plan for her visit to support FWB.
FWB encompasses a multiplicity of influences on peoples’ relationships with food and
highlights the complexity of food decisions (Block et al., 2011). Mindfulness (Bahl et al., 2016)
is found in these narratives with respect to food consumption. Detox provides opportunities
for people to contemplate their pursuit of healthier eating patterns:
I was hoping [the detox] would take me up the diet spectrum [. . .] [I] if I was eating the standard
American diet, then I would be able to go up a level [. . .] to have organic food [. . ..] [N]ow I want
to be vegetarian [. . .] [N]ow I want to be vegan [. . .] I had a personal goal [. . .] I do enjoy eating
that way [. . .] [W]hen people say, “Oh, you’re being good!” or “You’re so good” [. . .] I’m like, “[N]o
[. . .] I would eat that way all the time.” – Raw Fitness
Raw Fitness, like many of the informants, views detox as a transition to pursue increasingly
healthier eating through food socialization and food literacy. Thus, these informants’
transition from notions of food as pleasure found in taste to pleasure in the attainment of
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
FWB becomes a lifestyle these informants are motivated to sustain. Consider Rianne’s
detox experience:
I don’t feel alone anymore because I feel more connected to myself and more connected to God as a
result of, actually, it was several detoxes [. . .] I became addicted to them [. . .] to the feeling I was
getting and so being in tune [. . .] I don’t necessarily have to be on a detox to get that feeling any
longer because I recognize it went beyond just the detox. But at least the detox reintroduced me to
me. – Rianne
Rianne enjoys the feeling of clean eating. She associates her desire for physical and
emotional connections with evolved eating patterns. The embrace of FWB is also credited
with broader positive life impacts.
Overall, these informants’ narratives suggest that detox serves as both a retooling of
food socialization and enhancement of food literacy. Through these informants’ experience
of detox as transition, this research finds that enhanced FWB may radically transform one’s
health and the overall experience of food. When the relationship with food is reformulated,
there are opportunities for individuals to embrace healthy eating as a desired lifestyle.
General discussion
These findings advance prior notions of FWB that are crucial for individual and societal
health (Block et al., 2011; Bublitz et al., 2011; Bublitz et al., 2013), with an understanding of a
role for food socialization, and food literacy in the transition to healthier eating. In addition,
this research adds to the FWB literature an understanding of a changing relationship with
food among an understudied population at high risk for food-related diseases. This research
builds on the fact that, like consumption in general, food consumption and its cultural
linkages are learned through a socialization process. These informants experienced the
detox program as a type of food (re)socialization which also enhanced food literacy. The
food (re)socialization and improved food literacy enable these informants to acquire new
knowledge, motivation and behavior patterns, and positively alters their relationship with
food.
Hedonic food consumption focuses on taste sensations as a focal outcome for assessing
pleasure. However, individuals may seek out novel yet less pleasurable experiences in
support of attaining desired goals (Keinan and Kivetz, 2011). Our findings are consistent
with research on FWB which asserts the importance of goals to the strategies consumers
undertake to enhance their FWB (Bublitz et al., 2013). That notion is aligned with research
that suggests the incorporation of food pleasure in efforts to encourage healthy eating
(Pettigrew, 2016; Landry et al., 2018). Landry et al. (2018) explored the relationship between
eating pleasure and healthy eating and found that their participants’ definition of healthy
eating emphasized food characteristics related to nutritional quality (e.g. vitamins and fiber)
and eating regulation. Nonetheless, some participants spontaneously associated healthy
foods with pleasure, making the integration of eating pleasure a promising avenue for
promoting healthy eating.
As Block et al. (2011, p. 11) noted, a central concern in this paradigm shift is to
understand which meanings consumers attach to food. The present research finds that food
socialization and food literacy facilitate the transition to healthier eating patterns that accrue
benefits to the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the self. These findings are
consistent with research which considers links between the pleasure derived from eating
and healthy dietary patterns (Cornil and Chandon, 2016; Landry et al., 2018; Pettigrew,
2016). And these findings extend prior research by demonstrating how pleasure may be
derived not only from food consumption but also from the reconfigured relationship with
food. That is, food contributes to a pleasurable outcome versus being pleasurable in and of
itself. As Bublitz and colleagues noted, “The interplay between pleasurable food
experiences, overall health and well-being is critical to the FWB paradigm” (Bublitz et al.,
2013, p. 1212). Those scholars also suggested a goal orientation where FWB relates to
motivation and to the notion that FWB, developed through food socialization and food
literacy, may transform the benefits of healthy eating patterns into experiences of pleasure
based on that achievement. Although our qualitative study provides some support for this
notion, these relationships warrant further study.
The prevailing discourse in health prevention and promotion is to reframe healthy food
as tasty. That may be possible; however, the findings from this research suggest an
alternative yet complementary approach. As individuals learn more about food and its
effects on their well-being, it may be possible for individuals to view food as fuel. Such a
perspective moves food out of the realm of taste as the basis of pleasure, to a realm where
healthy food options prevail as ideal choices for delivering quality, long-lasting fuel
enabling FWB. Prior research demonstrates that social marketing can be used to
strategically advance FWB among specific audiences (Bublitz et al., 2016). The notion of
food as fuel for FWB may allow the development of social marketing campaigns to help
individuals understand how to fuel the body for optimal efficiency.
Food marketers might be engaged to reframe the consumption of healthier food in terms
of physiological benefits that result from performance along various dimensions (e.g. mental
clarity, emotional calm and physical fullness). Consider smoothie retailers. Smoothies, once
comprised primarily of ingredients providing a calorie-rich and nutrient-poor (e.g. sherbet
and sweetened fruit) refresher, are now made of nutrient-rich and calorie-efficient
ingredients (e.g. chia and green vegetables) serving as meal replacements and dietary
supplements. And, as consumers learn of the benefits from nutritious food, there is less
rejection of those options. In addition to notions of taste, portion size is also marketed. Fast
casual restaurants once emphasized large portions to signal value. Recent research finds
that multisensory effects can influence the experience of pleasure with individuals selecting
smaller portions that may be healthier (Cornil and Chandon, 2016). There may be
opportunities for marketers to promote portion size in conjunction with the introduction of
healthier options for FWB as manifestations of enjoyable eating.
This exploratory study is limited by the particular context of the study, the type of food
restriction program and the sample composition. Nonetheless, the findings explain how an
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intentional consumer’s effort at transitioning to healthier eating via detox can reframe the
typical displeasure associated with food restriction and also support a more positive
relationship with food. Specifically, this study advances an understanding of how food
socialization and food literacy may be deployed to advance FWB. The present findings also
suggest that mindfulness (Bahl et al., 2016) of food choices and practices may also contribute
to pleasure in food restriction. This study lays the groundwork for additional research
exploring how FWB may be encouraged through alternate approaches to modifying eating
patterns across populations.
For example, food socialization is often thought of in terms of learning over time, with an
emphasis on childhood and group memberships such as ethnicity or social class; however,
marketing and media may also serve socialization functions (Grier and Moore, 2012). The
present findings highlight that consumers may undertake programs which provide food
resocialization. Resocialization is a process which involves learning new norms, beliefs and
behaviors to transform those created by previous socialization (Murnane, 2008; Mortimer
and Simmons, 1978). The role of resocialization makes sense as socialization is often driven
by communication and social interaction (Dallimore, 2003). However, the majority of
consumer research on socialization focuses on children and literature in other fields which
addresses that adults emphasize issues of occupational socialization or institutionalization.
Given the importance of dietary transitions, understanding resocialization processes among
adults in the food consumption context may be a fruitful avenue for future research.
In addition, although the participants’ narratives emphasize food socialization and food
literacy, the FWB model encompasses three other key dimensions which contribute to
overall FWB and should be considered: food marketing, food availability and food policy.
For example, food marketing may disrupt increased food literacy or food socialization of
prompt backsliding as it tempts people to abort the transition process for less healthy
alternatives. Indeed, a study of African-American women found that their emotional eating
was heavily influenced by food advertising (Kemp et al., 2011), which suggests how food
marketing might hinder potential gains in food socialization and literacy. In their
examination of marketing practices for hedonic foods, Bublitz and Peracchio (2015)
suggested that understanding how marketers promote hedonic foods may help identify
ways to facilitate shifts toward healthier eating. Understanding the interrelations of
pleasure with the various dimensions of the FWB model can help to understand how food
transitions built on food restriction may best contribute to FWB.
Overall, this research identifies the possibility of experiencing pleasure through food
restriction and how this may support enhanced FWB and transformative consumer research
efforts. The Chef Anthony Bourdain once said “Anyone who’s a chef, or who loves food,
ultimately knows that all that matters is: ‘Is it good? Does it give pleasure?” (BrainyQuote.
com., 2018). The hope is that this research adds the notion of a positive relationship with
food to conceptualizations of how pleasure can support healthier eating and enhanced FWB.
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Corresponding author
Tonya Williams Bradford can be contacted at: twbrad@uci.edu
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