What Do You Think about Food Ads?

[Alex Brecher 10,495]

I’ve been thinking about commercials and advertising because of the Super Bowl, and I started wondering about your thoughts on food commercials and other ads. There’s a good chance you’ve been noticing and possibly been influenced by food ads for years or your entire life. Now that you’ve had weight loss surgery or are thinking about it, you are sure to notice the abundance of food ads everywhere – on TV, on billboards, online, on the radio, and anywhere else you turn. They’re unavoidable!

You’ve probably also noticed that most of them are for unhealthy foods: candy bars, chips, hamburger and pizza restaurants, and frozen pizzas, for example. They’re often misleading – they might show fit-looking people chowing down on a candy bar for energy, or a concerned mother baking refrigerated (sugary and fatty) cinnamon rolls to show how much she loves her children.

What do you think about these types of ads? Do they influence you to eat more? Are you more likely to stop by the drive-through when you see an ad for a buy one get one free hamburger deal, or buy a doughnut, get a free coffee deal? Do you get more cravings when you see an attractive person eating from a bucket of fried chicken? Or are you able to ignore the ads?

Also, do you think they are irresponsible? Should there be more regulation? Or should viewers and other consumers be responsible for their own health and know that these ads are not telling them about the unhealthiness of their foods? Share your thoughts about food ads - and any tips you have for resisting them!

[_Kate_ 2,224]

food adverts: Thats one area which has never bothered me Alex. I never took notice of them before and i don't now. I know psychologists have a field day with subconscious messages around adverts but even though I was overweight, I tended to eat clean and decent meals. I have never been one for burger bars or the appeal of two for one. I think my downfall around food was supermarkets. Psychologists state that people walk the same way around supermarkets and this lulls them into buying more. So I have started shopping from where I usually end up. It's odd but I am getting used to it.

Now don't get me started on two for one on household cleaning... that I CAN'T resist

[summerset 5,261]

Ads bother me a lot, in the sense of getting on my nerves. It's not only about food, ads in general get on my nerves.

On the web I use an ad blocker. When it comes to TV I pay an additional fee to be able to get the (near) advertisement free channels as well.

I try to get around advertisement as much as I can though you can't be 100% advertisement free which is ok because advertisement is information about products as well so I don't mind a few spots.

However, I try to get around food advertisement as it really can trigger cravings.

[Berry78 4,259]

The only time food ads on tv made me sit up and take notice was when I was pregnant....

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[MowryRocks 679]

I may see something that think, "That looks good", but with me at least, it does not correlate into "I must have it."

[Montana Gal 448]

food ads do not bother me, but weight loss ads do. I am disappointed in the amount of weight loss gimics, pills, machines, food plans and empty promises. I realize they always increase them during the new year and summer and will probably always be around. I can't forgive the greed aspect over true concern for health.

[one year post op 35]

food ads do not bother me.. weight loss ads do bother me only because I have not lost the weight I wanted to lose. And I can't seem to shed the love handles and fat around the hips.

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[Vinasu 621]

I am really concerned about the affect of food ads on kids. They really influence my kids, and I have to talk to them about nutrition on a regular basis.

I don't like ads, but that's business when targeting adults. I hate ads targeting kids, especially with junk. That is immoral.

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[Poku 14]

I think they're terrible, my 7 & 5 year olds get excited asking to eat the junk they see on TV. It's what I was raised on and I know better than to feed it to my children, but I also hate feeling like I'm depriving them of the foods they want.

I switched to internet viewing because the ads are not so bad or constant as they are with cable.

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Edited February 6, 2017 by Poku