Investigation of changes in fat preferences according to mindful eating levels of individuals applying to a private diet clinic

The research was conducted to examine the change in fat preferences according to the mindful eating (ME) levels of individuals who applied to a private diet clinic. For this purpose, a questionnaire study was applied to 97 participants between the ages of 18-65 who applied to a private diet clinic for online diet service. As a data collection tool, the questionnaire, including the Mindful Eating Questionnaire-30 (MEQ-30) and the Fat Preference Questionnaire, was sent to the participants online. 84.5% of the participants were women, and 15.5% were men. It has been observed that men find fatty foods more tasty than women (p=0.016). The average body mass index (BMI) values of the participants were 24.4 kg/m2. No statistically significant difference was found between the participants' BMI values and MEQ-30 scores. Although the high BMI group (BMI≥25 kg/m2) found the high-fat options more delicious, it was determined that they restricted dietary fat more (p= 0.008 and p= 0.016, respectively). It was observed that participants with high mindful eating levels found high-fat foods less tasty and preferred them less frequently (r=-0.291 p=0.004, r=-0.259 p=0.011). In addition, it was found that participants with high eating discipline scores restricted dietary fat more (r=0.246 p=0.015). In the study, it was observed that the mindful eating levels of individuals may have an effect on their fat preferences.