Erin O'Hara: Naturopath and wellness expert on whether eating healthy is more than willpower

New research indicates making healthy choices might require more effort than updating your grocery list.

A new study claims women's eating habits are more socially sensitive, and when isolated, they're 85 percent more likely to stop eating vegetables daily and twice as likely to stop eating fruit. 

The study also claims that when women's social networks shrink or become less diverse, women lose the social scaffolding that supports healthy eating patterns. 

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains the research further - and how you can make healthy choices.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Joining me now is Aeron O'Hara. Good morning, Good morning. Right,
You've got a fascinating study for us today about whether
eating healthy is more than just willpower. Yeah, this is a.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Really interesting study and it's actually a long study that's
done over ten years and has one hundred and thirty
adults that they were observing their eating habits. And this
recent study shows that social connection can be more important
than what you're actually putting on your grocery list and
how healthy that you eat. And it's a really interesting
study because it looks at the effect of your social

(00:46):
life and how it actually affects what you choose to
eat and how healthy you eat, which is something you
probably wouldn't have thought of that usually think if you're
more social, you'd probably eat worse, but it's actually the
other way round. The more social connection we have, the
more we are influenced to actually eat healthier and healthier

(01:07):
at home. So not just in social situations, but will
choose to eat healthier when we have a better social
network around us.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Okay, why are women's eating habits more socially sensitive.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
It's interesting women showed in the study because it was
a study that was done on women and men, and
what they found is that actually women who are more
socially isolated are eighty five percent more likely to stop
eating vegetables and less like could eat fruit when they
are more socially isolated than men are, And they actually

(01:43):
ate a lot less for vegetables when they're more socially
isolated than when they had a lot more social connections
and networks, so that might be catching up with friends,
maybe volunteering, belonging to a church group, all those sorts
of social connections that actually they eat healthier when they're
at home as well, and actually ate a lot more

(02:03):
fruit and vegetables when they have a better social network
around them.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
That's fascinating.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, it's a really interesting that that our behavior is
actually influenced by not just in those times where we're
eating meals with people, but actually when we're actually at home.
Even if you're alone and eating but you have a
better social network, you actually still eat better.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
But this also supports the whole idea of you know
the importance of the end of the day, the family
getting around the dinner table. You know, the phone's away,
TV off, everyone's sitting around a table and having a conversation.
They haven't necessarily cooked that meal. This one poor person
who's probably slowing away daily putting that meal on the table.
But I wonder whether finishing and completing the meal is

(02:46):
I think it's more coouraged by the social environment.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
I think it's more having that time of actually taking
your time when you eat, when you eat in a
social situation. But the studies not just Leaven looking at
having meals together, but more about your social connections just
in your overall life. Even if you eat your meal
by yourself, you're more likely to eat better and when
you have a better social connection and better network system

(03:10):
around you. And it's interesting that the diversity of how
many social activities that you belong to, the better you
are to the more likely you are to eat healthy
and make those better food choices. And it might be
that if you know you don't have a lot of
social connections and you live by yourself, it might be
something that you look at to encourage you to eat

(03:30):
healthier is actually maybe join some social connections, whether it's
a book club, maybe a.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
God of the library.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
Have some social connections there, church group, whatever really inspires you,
knitting club. You can find something that actually gives you
that social network that's beyond your work, that actually helps
you have the connection. Doing a few things a couple
of times a week will actually then have overall that
overflow into your actual personal life, and they actually help

(04:00):
you be healthier, particularly eat.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Healthier erin thank you so much, She'll talk next week.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk ZTB from nine am Sunday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.