REALLY?

Two researchers at Cornell University devised an experiment to find out whether shopping when you’re hungry actually does influence how much food you buy.

The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, was carried out in two phases. In the first, 68 men and women, asked not to eat for five hours, were brought in on two separate days and allowed to “shop” for food in a simulated grocery store, which offered low-calorie options like fruits, vegetables and chicken breasts, as well as higher-calorie lower-nutrient foods.

Before shopping, half of the subjects were given a snack. Both groups ultimately bought a similar number of items, but those who shopped while hungry picked the highest-calorie foods.

In the second phase, the researchers followed 82 shoppers in a real grocery store. Once again, they found that people shopping at times when they were most likely to be hungry opted for calorie-dense foods.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Rita F. Redberg, a cardiologist, said the findings gave scientific support to common-sense advice.

“I think all diet guides include the advice to ‘never go grocery shopping when you are hungry,’” she wrote, “and when I had young children, I added ‘and never with young children’ - because either of these factors seem to lead to less wise food choices.”