Perhaps no one will argue that cinema has a huge impact on people: their habits, lifestyle and even gastronomic preferences. And just the last, how modern popular films influence the choice of food, scientists from Stanford University tried to analyze.
What do the heroes of the most popular movies eat?
Scientists analyzed the food featured in 250 of the highest-grossing American films and came to the conclusion that if they gave an Oscar for “the most unhealthy food in the title role,” many films could take part in the competition. The researchers compared the eating habits of popular movie characters with generally accepted dietary recommendations and concluded that there is very little in common between them. According to observations, in the diets of movie characters there is too little fiber, but a lot of unhealthy saturated fats, salt, sugar, and the amount of alcohol is almost 3 times higher than the real average.
The object of the study of scientists was the highest grossing American films for the period 1994-2018. Specialists divided the products shown in the cinema into groups. The drinks category included alcohol, water, dairy products, tea, coffee, sweetened and diet drinks, 100% juices, infant formula and breast milk. Food was represented by dairy products, cereals, protein foods, fruits, vegetables, snacks, sweets, mixed meals, fats, sauces and seasonings, sugar, protein powders.
After analyzing all food products, scientists came to the conclusion that 40% of the drinks shown in the films are alcohol, and almost 25% of all food is sweets and snacks. Almost 94% of films show food with average and above average levels of sugar. In 93% of feeds, the food contains medium or high levels of fat, with 85% of the time it is saturated fat. The situation is no better with food high in salt – it appeared in almost half of the films. Thus, we can say that the diet of movie heroes is far from a healthy and balanced diet.
Despite the fact that in many films the brand of a particular product was hidden, nevertheless films have the same impact as traditional advertising. This idea prompted the researchers to analyze how the legislation regulates advertising of different types of products shown in films. It turned out that, for example, under the laws of Great Britain, more than 70% of the food from the analyzed films is forbidden to be advertised if a quarter of the audience are children under 16 years old. With drinks, the situation is even more complicated: almost 90% of them do not meet UK advertising standards.
Why is it dangerous?
According to Stanford University researcher Bradley Turnwald, the head of the study, from the point of view of psychology, modern cinema has a huge impact on humans. Many viewers strive to be like their favorite movie characters, imitating them in everything, including the choice of food.
By the way, earlier studies have shown that the demonstration of alcohol in films contributes to the earlier use of alcohol by teenagers. The same thing happens with junk food. According to scientists, a teenager is 3 times more likely to choose an unhealthy snack if he sees it in a popular movie.
On the other hand, many experts agree that the food shown in the films reflects the nutritional habits of most modern people, that is, it is a kind of mirror of how many of us eat on a daily basis. Thus, modern cinema allows you to look at yourself from the outside and try to change your diet, making it more balanced and correct.
- Sources of
- JAMA Network. – Nutritional Analysis of Foods and Beverages Depicted in Top-Grossing US Movies, 1994-2018.
- WebMD. – Junk Food, Alcohol Often Star in Hit Movies.
- Stanford University. – Most popular American movies depict an unhealthy diet, Stanford researchers find.