Choice Architecture (Ads) or..... Manipulation?

Have you ever thaught that watching your favorite TV show could be dangerous for your health?

It can be, if you take into account the impact that is made by the commercials. A study of almost 100,000 food ads on TV showed that 89% of ads that teenagers see are promoting products high in fat, sugar, and/or sodium.

With the average teen in the U.S. seeing 15 food ads a day, commercials' influence on you can add up, especially when you consider that these ads can affect how you eat without you knowing it. And that's where the danger lies. A study by researchers at Yale University found that kids eating a snack while watching TV ate 45% more during and after food ads.

So how do you spot unhealthy food advertisements and shield yourself against them? Educate yourself! Read scientifically based literatrue, watch movies and scientific shows about nutrition. Help yourself and your beloved ones!

When you do see a fast-food commercial, think about the way advertisers are showing their products to you. Are they telling the whole story? Just because fast-food marketers try to get you to buy fatty, sugary foods doesn't mean you have to let them get inside your head.

Also, ads push supersized meals, promising better value for bigger portions. These commercials remind you that you can get an inordinate amount of unhealthy food for a very low price. That can make them hard to resist when you're hungry and strapped for cash. But the ads don't tell you that jumbo portions are not good for your health; they just add more calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats.

Over the years, portion sizes -- or the amount of food being eaten in one sitting -- has grown by a lot. If you were served a cheeseburger 20 years ago, it likely would have weighed in at 333 calories. Order a cheeseburger today and you're likely to get something nearly double the size -- 590 calories! That's too much to eat at once, especially when paired with fries and a soda, to be considered healthy.

Don't allow to manipulate with yourself! The multinational companies don't care about the health of your children, of your heart rate or the level of obesity issues in the world... they care about money. Don't be a marionette in their hands, be self-conscious and take care about yourself!