Healthy eating is a complex and often confusing topic, especially for young people. Conflicting advice, trends, and body ideals contribute to a stigmatising food environment in which social media influencers (SMIs) strongly shape perceptions of what counts as a 'healthy' diet. However, little is known about the specific food content that emerging adults encounter in their own social media feeds and how this influences their understanding of healthy eating. Guided by Source Credibility Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory, this study used a photo-voice approach combining content analysis and focus group discussions. Emerging adults collected 559 food-related images from their social media feeds, which were later used as discussion prompts. This multi-method design enabled an in-depth examination of the health-promoting food content shared by influencers, its alignment with dietary guidelines, and the features shaping perceived credibility. Results showed that 30% of analysed posts contradicted dietary guidelines, mainly by featuring too large portions of red meat. Most inaccurate content (78.3%) appeared in recipe posts and was almost exclusively shared by uncredentialed influencers (90.7%). Focus group discussions revealed that participants often overlooked subtle misinformation due to shortcomings in credibility evaluation. Many relied on perceived expertise, such as scientific language or a "healthy" appearance, rather than formal credentials, while others viewed recipe posts as harmless, underestimating their impact on perceptions of healthy eating. Overall, findings suggest that although influencer content can promote healthier food choices, improving digital literacy is crucial to help emerging adults recognise and critically assess misleading nutritional information.

The endocannabinoid system is a potent regulator of energy intake, but effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on appetite/eating behaviour in humans are not documented. We examined whether acute CBD ingestion affects energy intake, subjective appetite, or postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism in fifteen healthy adults (four females). A double-blind, randomized, crossover design was used. Participants ingested 298mg CBD or placebo, with postprandial metabolic outcomes (blood-based energy substrates/hormones, and indirect calorimetry) assessed following consumption of a mixed-macronutrient breakfast 30min later. Subjective outcomes were recorded hourly, and an ad libitum lunch provided 180min post-CBD ingestion. Energy intake was 193 (95%CI: 80 to 306) kcal greater following CBD ingestion (CBD 979±462kcal; placebo 786±280kcal; p=0.003; dz=0.94 [0.32 to 1.55]). Ghrelin concentrations were 93 (37 to 148) and 107 (72 to 142) pg/mL less than placebo (p≤0.01) at 120 and 180min, respectively, following CBD. Minimum ghrelin concentration and AUC were 108 (67 to 150) pg/mL and 10.0 (16.6 to 3.3) ng/mL·180min less after CBD than placebo (p≤0.01). There were no between-conditions differences in plasma glucose, triacylglycerol, non-esterified fatty acids, insulin, Glucagon-like peptide-1, energy expenditure, carbohydrate/lipid oxidation, or any subjective outcome (p>0.05). Healthy adults ate more at lunch following CBD ingestion, providing the first evidence that CBD isolate can increase energy intake in humans. Energy intake increased despite lesser ghrelin concentrations and no differences in subjective appetite. Future research should explore mechanisms and/or utility in clinical populations.

This study explored meal preferences in young adults and moderation by dietary behaviours and cardiometabolic health. Between April and November 2022, Australian young adults (18-30 years) were invited to complete an online discrete choice experiment (DCE) to understand meal preferences and to provide an 8-item cardiometabolic profile analysis. Participants were presented with 12 choice sets reflecting a typical weekday meal and were asked to choose between four meal options, each with five meal attributes (preparation time, cost, taste, familiarity, nutrition content). Conditional logit models were used to determine meal preferences and associations with diet quality, hunger, appetite disinhibition and cardiometabolic health. A total of 229 adults (49% female, mean age 23.9 [SD 3.9] years) completed the DCE and provided cardiometabolic data. Higher nutrition content was the most important influence on meal choice (β=2.26, 95% CI: 1.97, 2.56), followed by better taste (β=2.05; 95% CI: 1.80, 2.29), higher quality (β=0.96; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.13), lower cost (β=-0.85; 95% CI: 1.07, -0.64), and lower preparation time (β=-0.75; 95% CI: 0.91, -0.59). Higher nutrition content was more important with higher diet quality and less important with increasing appetite disinhibition, VLDL-cholesterol, insulin, hsCRP and triglycerides levels; higher meal quality was more important with higher diet quality and less important with increasing appetite disinhibition; better taste was less important with increasing total and LDL cholesterol; lower cost was more important with increasing VLDL-cholesterol, insulin and triglycerides; and lower preparation time was more important with increasing VLDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Meal preferences in young adulthood vary according to dietary behaviours and cardiometabolic profile. Targeted interventions and policies that address the underlying reasons for unhealthy behaviours in young adults and differ by cardiometabolic risk groups are needed.

Stress significantly influences eating behavior, yet individual responses vary. Binge eating - a core feature of Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa - is frequently triggered by acute stress. One proposed mechanism is that stress increases the motivational salience of food cues, which could promote craving and food intake. To test this idea experimentally, this study examined how stress affects attentional bias toward food, and how such changes relate to food craving and food intake in individuals with binge eating behaviors compared with individuals without binge eating. Using a mixed experimental design, 130 participants (68 with binge eating, 62 without binge eating) completed sessions with and without stress induction via a video-conference Trier Social Stress Test. Attentional bias was assessed via the Dot Probe Paradigm and eye tracking, food craving was measured via self-reports, and food intake was measured behaviorally. Stress did not significantly change attentional bias toward food, nor did it affect food intake. Stress did increase craving in the group with binge eating, indicating that stress enhanced the motivational value of food. The absence of corresponding changes in attentional bias suggests that heightened craving under stress does not necessarily translate into measurable shifts in attentional allocation toward food cues, or that stress may influence motivational processes without altering overt attentional patterns. Another possibility is that methodological restraints specific to our study design limited the detection of stress-related changes in attentional processes. Further research is needed to clarify the role of attentional processes in stress-related eating, especially regarding binge eating.

Conducted in 2024at the time of the Government of Canada's announcement about a new National School Food Program (NSFP), this study explores parents' and educators' perspectives on food, funding, and preferred attributes of an NSFP. Using an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) lens, we consider how to create socially just School Food Programs (SFPs). We conducted a mixed-methods study in publicly funded primary schools in two urban regions of Ontario, Canada. Parents/caregivers completed an online survey about family socio-demographics and views on SFPs with 267 valid responses. Twenty-seven parents participated in six focus groups and six primary school educators were interviewed. Equitable accessibility, cultural food, and including interest holders and community partners were organizing themes from qualitative findings that were compared to quantitative survey data. Equitable accessibility to SFPs was conceptualized as universally affordable but not necessarily universally free. Accessibility for students with dietary requirements was considered with concerns about logistical challenges. Consideration of cultural food in SFPs encompassed student representation, educational benefits, and challenges for incorporating it. Some parents advocated for the inclusion of key interest holders - students and parents - in planning and implementation along with broader community partners. Many participants envisioned SFPs that consider universal accessibility, cultural food diversity, and inclusive participation. Embedding EDIA in program design is key to socially just SFPs but questions remain about how to achieve this. We recommend that local level data are collected with interest holder consultation.

Current consumption of animal-based protein sources is environmentally unsustainable and poses risks to human health, animal welfare, and food security. Policymakers in many countries seek to reduce the consumption of animal-based protein sources. However, this transition is affected by many factors, and it remains unclear how they interact and what their potential is for stimulating systemic change. This study synthesized stakeholders' perspectives on factors driving the consumption of animal- and plant-based protein sources into a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), visualiing factors and their cause-and-effect relationships. Three Group Model Building sessions with 28 stakeholders (consumers, researchers, industry representatives, policymakers, interest group members) from the Netherlands informed the CLD. The Action Scales Model was used to categorize factors into system levels (events, structures, goals, and beliefs), providing insights into their potential for systemic change. The resulting CLD reveals the complexity of protein consumption across five interconnected subsystems: 1) Individual Aspects, 2) Social Interactions & Culture, 3) Physical Food Environment, 4) Food Industry & Natural Food Environment, and 5) Politics & Regulation. The high interconnectivity indicates isolated interventions are unlikely to be sufficient for systemic change, as feedback mechanisms may counteract or neutralize their effects. Addressing multiple elements across the system is thus essential to accelerate the protein transition. This study provides a foundation for understanding the system dynamics shaping consumption of animal- and plant-based protein sources. However, further research is needed to incorporate quantitative weighting, determine the relative importance of mechanisms and identify leverage points for systemic change to guide policy development.