Research indicates that people don’t check the labels and assume that products marketed as healthy contain fewer calories than standard items. They see the “healthy” items as representing the less guilty option and so eat more of them.

When Healthy Leads To More Calories

We don’t have complete control of our decision-making because we take mental shortcuts, using inbuilt biases which are supposed to improve the efficiency of our choices and actions.We often use these shortcuts when deciding what to eat. For instance, we might decide that a food is healthy because it’s labeled as natural, organic, ‘low-fat’ or ‘low-calorie, when in fact these terms can be deliberately misleading.

Mental Shortcuts

It’s when people overestimate the healthiness of a food item because of unwarranted correlations. Research indicates that this effect causes people to consume larger portions and may even be a cause of obesity.

What Is a Health-Halo

A study comparing the two restaurants found that those who ate at Subway underestimated the calories in their meals more than those who ate at McDonald's.Because Subway sandwiches are considered healthier, people are more likely to add a cookie and a soda. While people who eat at McDonald's are not under the health-halo so they’re less likely to order sides with a Big Mac.

Subway Vs. Mcdonalds

<ul><li>Avoid fast food.</li><li>Stay away from high-fat preparation methods (fried, deep-fried, batter-dipped, breaded, crispy, etc. )</li><li>Stick to your calorie consumption goal.</li><li>Cut condiments like mayo, sauces and dressings</li><li>Watch what you put on the side – avoid high-fat sides like fries and choose undressed salad instead.</li></ul>

Get a Real Healthy Halo

Don't be tempted into ordering 'healthy' fast food. It might be more unhealthy for you You feel great about yourself when you order something "healthy" at your fast food store. But the healthy option might be just as bad for you as a triple bacon cheeseburger, fries and a Coke.

Understand yourself and those around you.