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Introduction
Adherence to dietary guidelines involves eating habits that conform to recommended nutrients or food intake. Although guidelines may vary, this typically includes a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and a lower intake of sodium and fat (World Health Organization, 2020). Compliance with these guidelines significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, heart failure, and mortality due to chronic diseases (Hu et al., 2019; Russell et al., 2013; Struijk et al., 2014; Yu et al., 2014). In addition, better adherence to these guidelines appears to be related to healthy aging (Gopinath et al., 2016). In turn, it can reduce the need for medical care, thereby cutting costs for the healthcare systems (Anekwe and Rahkovsky, 2013; Collins et al., 2013; Springmann et al., 2021).
Nevertheless, statistics highlight that adherence to dietary recommendations remains relatively low to moderate, although this can vary based on certain factors, including gender, education level, and socioeconomic status (Gopinath et al., 2016; Leme et al., 2021). A similar trend was observed within the Canadian population (Brassard et al., 2018; Kolahdooz et al., 2018). Furthermore, a recent systematic review of 23 longitudinal studies revealed a decrease in adherence to healthy diets after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (González-Monroy et al., 2021). These findings suggest that developing healthy eating habits may require more than simply understanding nutritional information (El Ansari et al., 2015), and emphasize the importance of improving our comprehension of the factors that may influence dietary behaviors.
Theoretical models from the field of psychology, particularly the cognitive-behavioral theoretical framework, can shed light on the factors that influence eating habits.
Theoretical framework
The cognitive-behavioral approach does not refer to a single theory, but rather a set of theories that were introduced in the 1960s. They share a number of theoretical assumptions, the main one being the constant interaction between behaviors, emotions, and cognitions as well as their influence on each other (Dozois et al., 2019). Indeed, behaviors, including eating behaviors, are influenced by emotional states and ways of thinking (Aoun et al., 2019; Wehling and Lusher, 2019). For instance, eating may represent a way to regulate negative emotions, such as...