In response to increasing rates of obesity, many dining establishments have focused on promoting the health properties and benefits of nutritious foods to encourage people to choose healthier options.1 Ironically however, health-focused labeling of food may be counter-effective, as people rate foods that they perceive to be healthier as less tasty.2 Healthy labeling is even associated with higher hunger hormone levels after consuming a meal compared with when the same meal is labeled indulgently.3 How can we make healthy foods just as appealing as more classically indulgent and unhealthy foods? Because healthy foods are routinely labeled with fewer appealing descriptors than standard foods,1 this study tested whether labeling vegetables with the flavorful, exciting, and indulgent descriptors typically reserved for less healthy foods could increase vegetable consumption. 
 
 Methods 
 
 The study was conducted in a large university cafeteria serving a mean (SD) 607 (52) diners per weekday lunch (52.5% undergraduate students, 32.5% graduate students, 15.1% staff/other). The Stanford University institutional review board approved this study and waived informed consent. Data were collected each weekday for the 2016 autumn academic quarter (n = 46 days). Each day, one featured vegetable was randomly labeled in 1 of 4 ways: basic, healthy restrictive, healthy positive, or indulgent (Table). No changes were made to how the vegetables were prepared or served. Each day research assistants discretely recorded the number of diners selecting the vegetable and weighed the mass of vegetables taken from the serving bowl. We predicted that vegetables labeled with indulgent descriptors would be chosen more than the same vegetables labeled with basic or healthy descriptors. Means were compared using analysis of variance. 
 
 Results 
 
 During the study period, 8279 of 27 933 total diners selected the vegetable (29.6%). Labeling had a significant effect on both the number of diners selecting the vegetable (F 3,42 = 2.83; P = .05) and the mass of vegetables consumed (F 3,42 = 4.29; P = .01). Pairwise comparisons (Figure) revealed that labeling vegetables indulgently resulted in 25% more people selecting the vegetable than in the basic condition (95% CI, 1%-49%; P = .04), 41% more people than in the healthy restrictive condition (95% CI, 18%-64%; P = .001), and 35% more people than in the healthy positive condition (95% CI, 10%-60%; P = .01). Similarly, labeling vegetables indulgently resulted in a 23% increase in mass of vegetables consumed compared with the basic condition (95% CI, 3%-43%; P = .03) and a 33% increase in mass of vegetables consumed compared with the healthy restrictive condition (95% CI, 11%-53%; P = .004), but a nonsignificant 16% increase in mass consumed compared with the healthy positive condition (95% CI, −5% to 36%; P = .14). There were no significant differences among the basic, healthy restrictive, and healthy positive conditions for either outcome (P > .25 for all). 
 
 Discussion 
 
 Labeling vegetables with indulgent descriptors significantly increased the number of people choosing vegetables and the total mass of vegetables consumed compared with basic or healthy descriptions, despite no changes in vegetable preparation. These results challenge existing solutions that aim to promote healthy eating by highlighting health properties or benefits and extend previous research that used other creative labeling strategies, such as using superhero characters, to promote vegetable consumption in children.4,5 Our results represent a robust, applicable strategy for increasing vegetable consumption in adults: using the same indulgent, exciting, and delicious descriptors as more popular, albeit less healthy, foods. This novel, low-cost intervention could easily be implemented in cafeterias, restaurants, and consumer products to increase selection of healthier options. Though we were unable to measure how much food was eaten by patrons individually, people generally eat 92% of self-served food, regardless of portion size and food type.6 Further research should assess how well the effects generalize to other settings and explore the potential of indulgent labeling to help alleviate the pervasive cultural mindset that healthy foods are not tasty.1-3 
 
 Back to top Article Information 
 
 Corresponding Author: Bradley P. Turnwald, MS, Stanford University, Bldg 420, Jordan Hall, Rm 384, Stanford, CA 94305-2130 (turnwald@stanford.edu). 
 
 Accepted for Publication: March 27, 2017. 
 
 Correction: This article was corrected on July 24, 2017, to correct 2 P values that were switched in the Results section. 
 
 Published Online: June 12, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.1637 
 
 Author Contributions: Mr Turnwald had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. 
 
 Study concept and design: All authors. 
 
 Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Turnwald, Boles. 
 
 Drafting of the manuscript: Turnwald. 
 
 Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors. 
 
 Statistical analysis: Turnwald. 
 
 Administrative, technical, or material support: Boles. 
 
 Study supervision: Crum. 
 
 Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported. 
 
 Funding/Support: This material is based upon work supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (grant No. DGE-114747). 
 
 Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. 
 
 Additional Contributions: We wish to acknowledge the Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises team at Stanford University for assisting study design and implementation, particularly Jackie Bertoldo, MPH, RDN; Eric Montell, Executive Director; and Shirley J. Everett, EdD, MBA. We also thank research assistants Rina Horii, Katie Wolfteich, Inbar Kodesh, Felicia Schuessler, Cole Fiers, and Meg McNulty for assisting with data collection. None of the contributors received compensation for their work. ||||| Wouldn’t you choose “sweet sizzlin’ green beans and crispy shallots” over basic green beans? According to new research from Stanford scholars, yes, indeed. (Image credit: Getty Images) 
 
 Would you be more likely to eat vegetables if they were described as “dynamite,” “caramelized” and “sweet sizzlin’”? 
 
 According to new research from Stanford scholars, the answer is a hearty yes. 
 
 The study, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, showed that more vegetables were consumed when they were labeled with indulgent descriptions that are usually reserved for more decadent foods. The findings may help provide guidance on how to make healthier foods more appealing and encourage people to make healthier dining choices. 
 
 Hurdles to healthy eating 
 
 Health officials say people should eat healthier because of a growing obesity problem in the United States. According to a 2015 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, more than one-third of U.S. adults are classified as obese. 
 
 So how do you get people to eat healthier? It’s not easy, said Bradley Turnwald, a graduate psychology student and lead author of the study. Turnwald collaborated with Alia Crum, an assistant professor of psychology and principal investigator of the Stanford Mind & Body Lab, and Danielle Boles, one of the lab’s research assistants, on the study. 
 
 Turnwald said that previous research has shown that people tend to think that healthy foods are less tasty and less enjoyable than standard foods. Healthy foods are also perceived as less filling and less satisfying, according to prior work. A 2011 study by Crum and her colleagues found that labeling a milkshake as low-calorie and restrictive led participants to have higher levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, compared to when participants consumed the same shake with a high-calorie and indulgent label. 
 
 Eat your vegetables 
 
 To test how labeling could impact consumption of healthier menu choices, the researchers collaborated with Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises to conduct a study in a large dining hall on campus. The researchers changed how certain vegetables were labeled using four categories: basic, healthy restrictive, healthy positive or indulgent. 
 
 Green beans, for instance, were described as “green beans” (basic), “light ’n’ low-carb green beans and shallots” (healthy restrictive), “healthy energy-boosting green beans and shallots” (healthy positive) or “sweet sizzlin’ green beans and crispy shallots” (indulgent). 
 
 Research assistants monitored the number of diners who chose the vegetable and how much was consumed over the course of each lunch period for an entire academic quarter (46 days). There were no changes to how the food was prepared or presented throughout the study. 
 
 The researchers found that labeling vegetables with indulgent descriptions led more diners to choose vegetables and resulted in a greater mass of vegetables served per day. Diners chose vegetables with indulgent labeling 25 percent more than basic labeling, 35 percent more than healthy positive and 41 percent more than healthy restrictive. In terms of mass of vegetables served per day, vegetables with indulgent labeling were consumed 16 percent more than those labeled healthy positive, 23 percent more than basic and 33 more than healthy restrictive. 
 
 “We have this intuition to describe healthy foods in terms of their health attributes, but this study suggests that emphasizing health can actually discourage diners from choosing healthy options,” Turnwald said. 
 
 A healthier future? 
 
 This simple and low-cost strategy of altering the descriptions of healthy foods could have a substantial impact on consumption of nutritious foods in dining settings. Turnwald said more research needs to be done – he’d like to see if the effects would be similar when choosing off a restaurant menu, without the food being visible – but these findings could be the basis for a potentially effective strategy to answer a challenging question. 
 
 “Healthy foods can be indulgent and tasty,” Turnwald said. “They just aren’t typically described that way. If people don’t think healthy foods taste good, how can we expect them to make healthy choices?” 
 
 Said Crum: “Changing the way we label healthy foods is one step toward changing the pernicious mindset that healthy eating is depriving and distasteful.” 
 
 This work was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. ||||| Image copyright Paul_Brighton/Getty 
 
 How do you get more people to eat their greens? Give vegetables seductive names, say US researchers. 
 
 A team at Stanford tried it out on students in the university cafeteria and found veggie sales went up by 25% when indulgent labels were used. 
 
 "Sizzlin' beans", "dynamite beets" and "twisted citrus-glazed carrots" tempted diners to fill their plates. 
 
 Healthy labels, such as "wholesome", were a turn-off, even though the dishes were identical in every other way. 
 
 Seductive carrot... 
 
 The experiment took place over the whole of the autumn academic term. Each day, a vegetable dish was labelled up in one of four ways: 
 
 basic - where the description was simply "carrots", for example 
 
 healthy restrictive - "carrots with sugar-free citrus dressing" 
 
 health positive - "smart-choice vitamin C citrus carrots" 
 
 indulgent - "twisted citrus-glazed carrots" 
 
 The choice of vegetable - beetroot, butternut squash, carrot, corn, courgette, green beans, sweet potato - was also rotated to make sure there was enough variety throughout the week. 
 
 Each day, the scientists counted how many of the 600 or so diners selected the vegetable dish and, at the end of the meal time, weighed how much of the food had been taken from the serving bowl. 
 
 The indulgent labels came out top and included "twisted garlic-ginger butternut squash wedges" and "dynamite chilli and tangy lime-seasoned beets". 
 
 Seductive names resulted in 25% more people selecting the vegetable compared with basic labelling, 41% more people than the healthy restrictive labelling and 35% more people than the healthy positive labelling. 
 
 Could this trick make you like your vegetables more? 
 
 Make vegetables taste amazing 
 
 Pulling power 
 
 The researchers, Brad Turnwald and colleagues, say the findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, make sense when you consider the psychology behind food choices. 
 
 "When most people are making a dining decision, they are motivated by taste. 
 
 "And studies show that people tend to think of healthier options as less tasty for some reason. 
 
 Image copyright bowie15/getty 
 
 "Labels really can influence our sensory experience, affecting how tasty and filling we think food will be. 
 
 "So we wanted to reframe how people view vegetables, using indulgent labels." 
 
 Although most of us know that we should eat plenty of veg, too few of us do it. 
 
 People are advised to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Roughly a quarter of UK adults actually achieve this, however. 
 
 Prof Heather Hartwell from Bournemouth University in the UK has been leading a European project, VeggieEAT, designed to get people eating more veg. 
 
 She says no one strategy works for all, but there are lots of ways to boost intake. 
 
 Veg by stealth 
 
 For some, selecting healthy food is a considered and conscious choice. 
 
 But Prof Hartwell is also an advocate of "health by stealth" - nudging people in the right direction. 
 
 "Nudges can work. We have looked at using choice architecture, which is product placement, subliminal cues and descriptive tags, to nudge people." 
 
 For example, putting a picture of tasty looking fruit on supermarket trolleys could help "nudge" consumers to select more produce from the fruit aisle, she said. 
 
 Some consumers might buy something "gourmet and healthy" - such as spiralised courgette noodles - simply to impress their friends, she said. 
 
 "Choice is a really complex thing. But this study suggests that giving vegetables an indulgent tag can help raise their hierarchy." 
 
 Simple ways to meet your five a day ||||| Vegetables are the most nutritious and healthy of foods, yet most people don’t think they taste as good as burgers dripping with fat or a salty batch of French fries . 
 
 But what if the same words that food sellers usually reserve for those indulgent foods—like juicy, crispy and seasoned—were applied to the veggies? Rebranding vegetables as "tangy ginger bok choy" or "sweet sizzlin’ green beans" may be just the trick to getting more people to eat them. 
 
 Researchers at Stanford University put this idea to the test and published their results in JAMA Internal Medicine . For a little over a month, they relabeled the vegetable dishes at a university cafeteria. Each day, the vegetables got one of four types of labels: basic (like "beets", "corn" and "green beans"), one that highlighted the vegetable’s health benefits (like "vitamin-rich corn," "antioxidant-rich butternut squash"), one that used more restrictive words in describing the health benefits ("reduced-sodium corn," for example, or "carrots with sugar-free citrus dressing") and one that used indulgent language, the kind typically reserved for unhealthy foods ("rich, buttery roasted sweet corn," "dynamite chili and tangy lime-seasoned beets" and "twisted citrus-glazed carrots"). 
 
 MORE: 15 Foods a Nutritionist Always Keeps in Her Fridge 
 
 Despite the changes in labeling, the vegetables were prepared exactly the same say each day. The researchers then discreetly recorded how many people purchased the vegetable, as well as the serving size. 
 
 It turns out that words can launch a thousand taste buds: 25% more people chose the indulgently described vegetable compared to its basic version, while 41% more chose the indulgently described vegetable over its more restrictive version, and 35% more chose it over the version described with healthy benefits. They ate more of it, too. People served themselves 23% more of the vegetable when it was described with more appetizing language than when it was simply presented with a basic label. 
 
 The results suggest that words and creative labeling can go a long way toward helping people pile more vegetables on their plates. Making them sound mouthwateringly irresistible, say the authors, is a pretty low cost way to get people to load up on veggies.
– Getting yourself or your kids to eat more veggies could be as easy as coming up with a tempting name for your dish. According to psychology researchers at Stanford, people are more likely to chow down on vegetables if they have an "indulgent" name, like "sizzlin' beans" as opposed to plain old "beans." Diners are "motivated by taste," but labels affect "how tasty and filling we think food will be," study author Bradley Turnwald tells the BBC. To discover whether they could get people to eat more vegetables simply by changing the label, Turnwald and colleagues spent a month and a half serving up veggies in a university cafeteria, per a release. Some dishes got a basic label like "carrots." Others got a label like "twisted citrus-glazed carrots." The veggies were always prepared the same way. But researchers found those with "indulgent" labels were by far the best sellers, with 25% more people choosing them than veggies with a basic label. In a sign that consumers view healthy food as less tasty, the "indulgent" veggies were also gobbled up by 35% more people than ate veggies with healthy-positive labeling ("smart-choice vitamin C citrus carrots") and 41% more people than ate veggies with healthy-restrictive labeling ("carrots with sugar-free citrus dressing"). A greater amount of indulgent veggies was also eaten, reports Time. Turnwald's conclusion: Labeling can sway us, but "emphasizing health can actually discourage diners from choosing healthy options." (What food is paired with veggies also matters.)