arbiter
JournalsAccount

The interaction between mood, dietary restraint, and emotion regulation on snack food choice and consumption: A naturalistic food diary study

Isaac Williams et al.

Food Quality and Preference2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2026.105861article
ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Dietary restraint is a common weight regulation strategy, yet long-term adherence is frequently disrupted by emotional influences. These disruptions may stem from difficulties in emotion regulation strategy and capability use. The present study utilised a naturalistic seven-day snack diary method to examine the relationships between mood (state and trait), dietary restraint, and emotion regulation on snack choice and consumption. Each day, 155 women recorded their snack intake alongside their mood prior to consuming each snack. Results indicated an interaction between state mood and dietary restraint, with negative (but not positive) mood associated with greater unhealthy snack intake for restrained eaters, compared to unrestrained eaters. Emotion regulation was found to have only a limited moderating role in this relationship, suggesting instead that a restrained eater’s ability to interpret and process their emotional state is more likely to influence their snacking behaviour. Trait affect did not interact with dietary restraint to predict eating behaviour, suggesting that momentary emotional states have a stronger impact on dietary adherence than chronic emotional tendencies. These findings highlight the impact of emotional awareness and real-time mood regulation in influencing snacking behaviour, and inform potential intervention targets to support sustainable weight regulation goals.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2026.105861

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{isaac2026,
  title        = {{The interaction between mood, dietary restraint, and emotion regulation on snack food choice and consumption: A naturalistic food diary study}},
  author       = {Isaac Williams et al.},
  journal      = {Food Quality and Preference},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2026.105861},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

The interaction between mood, dietary restraint, and emotion regulation on snack food choice and consumption: A naturalistic food diary study

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.