A study conducted by the University of South Carolina and Loyola University has revealed that the ones who diet as compared to non-dieters are more likely to go for unhealthy food. It appears as the dieter focus on food names can lead them to unhealthy food practice.

The study was conducted over random people. For the study, two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, participants were presented with a mixture of vegetables, pasta, salami, and cheese, served on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. The item was either identified as salad or pasta. During the experiment, it was observed that when the item was called pasta, dieters perceived it as unhealthy.

While in the second experiment, participants were given sample of product, which was labeled either fruit chews or candy chews. During this experiment, it was observed that dieters perceived the item with an unhealthy name, candy chew, to be less healthy and less testy than non-dieters. As a result, dieters consumed more of the confections when they were called fruit chews.

The authors of the study have said that these days, restaurant salads can include ingredients that dieters would be likely to avoid like meats, cheeses, breads, and pasta. Potato chips are labeled veggie chips, milkshakes are called smoothies and sugary drinks are named flavored water.

The study suggests that over time, dieters learn to focus on simply avoiding foods that they recognize as forbidden based on product name.