EATING BEHAVIOR OF LOW-CARB DIETERS (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Introduction: The search for weight control causes new fad diets to appear periodically, having food restriction as a common point. The indiscriminate adherence to these practices can generate risk behaviors for eating disorders. Objective: To describe the eating behavior of low-carb diet practitioners. Methodology: To identify the practice and frequency of the diet, a questionnaire adapted from Oliveira, Figueredo and Cordás was used. Eating behavior was analyzed using the Eating Attitudes Scale (EAAT) and, for body dissatisfaction, the Kakeshita silhouette scale was used. Results and discussion: The survey had 58 participants, 93.1% women, with a mean age of 31.62 years (SD=11.53) and a BMI of 23.88 kg/m² (SD=4.44). Among these, only 7 were considered for analysis since they were the ones that followed low-carb. 71.42% (n=5) stated that they were more concerned about weight and body shape after starting the diet. The EAAT score was high, as well as factors 1, 2, 4 and 5. Only 14.28% of participants were satisfied with their body image. The EAAT score showed a positive correlation with the level of body dissatisfaction and no association was found between the BMI value and the discrepancy in the silhouette scale (p-value=0.73). Final considerations: The high prevalence of concern about body image in practitioners of low-carb diets is highlighted, which can lead to risk behaviors for eating disorders. Because the BMI and the discrepancy in the silhouette scale are independent variables, even people with a good nutritional status showed body dissatisfaction.