Cebu City – Social media has started to change the world. Social media has enabled people to discover and learn new information, share opinions and ideas, and interact with different people. And a lot of studies have shown that a lot of people spend a good amount of time on social media, capping off the popularity of this medium in recent times.
A study from Aston University's School of Life and Health Sciences in the UK found that you are more likely to eat the way your social media friends do. In that study, also unfolded college students ate more fruits and vegetables if they believed their social media friends did the same. And it was also the same case for negative dietary habits, college students indulged in more unhealthy food if their social media friends did the same.
Other findings that the study also noted that “Not only the exposure to healthy food images but also those heavily endorsed with ‘likes’ “influenced the behavior in choosing to eat healthier food.
This study is significant as this sheds some light on how social media influence the behavior of people. It’s not only to a disadvantage but social media could also be used to encourage healthy eating. Indicating that in the study “social interactions can strongly shape what, when, and how much we eat, and that social media has a part in shaping those influences virtually”.
Social media shouldn’t control what we eat, but we can use the information to make us aware and be responsible to keep ourselves healthy through proper nutrition with the right number of calories to get from nutrient-dense meals. // PNFP Gab Flores, RND
