Integrative eating style in relation to eating behavior and adiposity in healthy adults

Abstract

“Integrative eating” is a new concept that reflects cross‐cultural food and nutrition related guidelines, beliefs, and rituals about optimal eating from Western and Eastern cultures and is measured by the Personal Eating Style Questionnaire (PES‐Q). The PES‐Q scores 7 dimensions of integrative eating, including sensory‐spiritual nourishment, eating atmosphere, and task‐snacking. In a study of >1000 subjects, a higher PES‐Q score (reflecting more integrated eating) was associated with a lower self‐reported BMI and a lower frequency of overeating (Scherwitz and Kesten, 2005). We examined PES‐Q scores in relation to scores from the Eating Inventory, dietary intake from 3 multiple‐pass 24‐h recalls and percentage body fat (%BF) measured by air displacement plethysmography in 17 healthy, non‐smoking adults (aged 18–49 y; BMI 20.0–33.8 kg/m2). Results showed that controlling for confounders, more total integrated eating was associated with less overall dietary disinhibition (p=0.003), and in another model, less habitual disinhibition (p=0.001) and external hunger (p=0.05), and more flexible restraint (p=0.048). A higher %BF was associated with greater situational disinhibition (p=0.014) and lower sensory‐spiritual nourishment (p=0.067) and fast food‐fresh food (p=0.077) scores. Finally, some PES‐Q dimensions predicted dietary energy density, sodium density, and alcohol intake (p=0.05–0.06). Evaluation of integrative eating may improve our understanding of behavioral contributors to obesity.