The Relation of Dietary Restraint and Affect with Food Choice and the Experience of Guilt after Eating

This study examined the relation of affect and the desire to restrict intake (i.e., dietary restraint) with food choice and the experience of guilt after eating. We hypothesized that restraint would predict choosing lower-calorie foods except when individuals with high restraint experienced negative affect, and guilt after eating would be associated with restraint among individuals with high negative affect. Participants ( N = 309) completed measures of restraint and eating psychopathology before experiencing a positive, negative, or no mood induction. Participants then chose foods from four menus and ate one food item before rating their momentary guilt. Restraint predicted choosing lower calorie foods, but negative affect did not influence this relationship. An interaction of restraint and negative mood predicted guilt after eating. Thus, dietary restraint predicts restriction at the choice-level, and individuals high on restraint may interpret negative emotion while eating as a failure of behavioral control, producing guilt.