I have been eating chia seeds for a couple of years now and thought it would be interesting to evaluate some of the chia seed’s marketing claims. The media claims that chia seeds have a ton of health benefits such as being high in omega-3, antioxidants, and fiber. The high fiber content in chia makes them very satiating and supposedly keep you full longer.

Last year for breakfast I used to eat one of these bars every morning. I just ate them as a quick breakfast, not specifically because of the chia seeds in them, but simply because I liked them. Now thinking back on it, the bars I was consuming have both chia seeds and dark chocolate in them. I have realized that the brand Kashi, a brand marketed as healthy and organic, was using one of the most useful marketing strategies: including two “super foods” in their bars: dark chocolate and chia seeds. At first when I used to eat these bars, I enjoyed the taste and didn’t even notice there were chia seeds in them. However, after a couple of times of eating them, I actually noticed the chia seeds. To me, they are almost completely tasteless in the bars, but their consistency is what got to me. I do not mind it but, to me, chia seeds have this sort of slimy like outer coating on the seed which is kind of a weird feeling in your mouth.

After eating them, I do not recall being especially satiated or less hungry throughout the day; however, they did hold me over for a couple of hours until lunch time. After researching the actual health benefits of chia seeds, I have learned that the benefits are actually unclear and further scientific research must be done in order for me to form an accurate opinion of the seed. The research I did find did reveal that they were satiating; however, they had no weight loss properties. Even though these bars are definitely not going to help me lose weight, or even be a healthy breakfast for me, I will still consume them in moderation if I am in the mood for something sweet.

As we learned in the documentary, The Men Who Made Us Fat, the halo effect is very dangerous. In the halo effect, people usually eat more when they are eating foods marketed as “healthy.” In the documentary it was revealed that people eat twice as much when they’re eating a 100 calorie pack or a similar prepackaged food marketed as a “healthier” alternative. This is because people think that since these foods are low in calories, they must also be low in sugar and fat, which is not the case.

I found a New York Times article, “How Salad Can Make Us Fat,” describing the licensing effect as well as mentioning the halo effect on food consumption. The licensing effect described in the article is when people consume more as a reward. For example, people having an extra beer if they exercised that day, or an extra piece of cake if they had just consumed a salad. This idea of people pairing healthy foods with unhealthy reward foods is what is making us fat.

The article describes a study conducted on weight conscious people, revealing the halo effect in action. The group of people were asked to guess the amount of calories in a meal, a bacon cheeseburger. The average number the group guessed was around 700 calories. When they were shown the same burger, with a side of celery sticks, their guesses were significantly lower, around 600. This is evidence as to why people falsely believe they are eating healthier when they are simply just pairing an “unhealthy” food with something “healthy.”

This article brought up another really interesting point involving unhealthy non food related halo effects. When smokers were given a placebo vitamin C pill, they smoked twice as much because once again, they were pairing their unhealthy activity with something “healthy;” thus creating this mindset of the need for “balance.”

Before coming to Wagner, I was never personally a fan of any type of fried, processed, or unhealthy snack foods. However, every time I am hungry, I order an unhealthy meal at Hawks nest, and am always provoked by the cashier to get the combo (french fries and a drink). Why not get it if it is included? Once I am served french fries, I feel obligated to eat them because they are right in front of me, once I am given a cup, I walk over to the drink machine and get myself an iced tea or soda. This is a problem because if the waters served in Hawks did not use Flex Dollars, I would skip the soda machine all together; but, since a soda is included and not a water, I opt for the unhealthier, cheaper choice.

In the morning, seeing people walking around campus with their Starbucks cups makes me crave the taste of coffee. The fact that class is very early in the morning is a cue to my body falsely convincing me that I need caffeine to get through my day. When I am waiting on line, I hear everyone shouting out their bagel orders. This as well makes me crave something more to go along with my already unhealthy sugar filled coffee. Since we are allowed a certain amount of money for each swipe at Starbucks, I am even further provoked to get a bagel with my drink, because if i don’t use the money in my swipe now, I cannot eat again until lunch time.

After my 12:50 class ends, I feel as if I must get lunch because if I miss my lunch swipe, it does not carry over. The idea of a “swipe” leads me to eat more at certain times in the day because of my fear of “missing out on a meal (swipe).” I eat at times when I am not even hungry, and most of the time ending up eating very unhealthily, all because I don’t want to miss out on my lunch swipe.