FREE
75 mins
What Should They Reach For Instead?
Latest Evidence on Sweet Taste, Habit Change and Gut Signalling
Eva Marija Čad, Jane Ogden
Wednesday 21st October2026 19:00 – 20:15 GMT
What Should They Reach For Instead?
Latest Evidence on Sweet Taste, Habit Change and Gut Signalling
Eva Marija Čad, Jane Ogden
Wednesday 21st October2026 19:00 – 20:15 GMT
Free
75 mins
CONTENT AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Healthcare professionals routinely advise patients and clients to eat less sugar and more fibre. However, knowing what someone should reach for instead, and how to help that substitution become a lasting change, can be more challenging. Emerging evidence across sweet taste science, behaviour change and gut signalling is helping to build a more practical evidence base for substitution advice.
New research suggests that deliberately reducing exposure to sweetness does not necessarily change how sweet foods taste or how much people want them. At the same time, behaviour change research indicates that several different strategies can help disrupt unhealthy snacking habits, with the act of choosing a structured approach and starting it early appearing particularly important.
This webinar will bring these findings together with evidence on fibre, satiety and gut brain signalling to explore what they mean for practical substitution advice. It will consider why a fibre rich whole food substitute may help with more than simply replacing one food with another, and how the physiological effects of the substitute may influence appetite and the desire to reach for something sweet again.
Attendees will also explore five common situations associated with sweet snacking: reward, social occasions, convenience, automaticity and hunger. The session will consider how each situation may call for a different approach to substitution, helping healthcare professionals move beyond generic advice towards practical recommendations that reflect the circumstances in which snacking occurs.
We’ll cover:
- The latest evidence on sweet taste and sweetness exposure
- Behaviour change approaches to unhealthy snacking habits
- The role of fibre and gut signalling in substitution
- The evidence for substitution as a behaviour change strategy
- Practical substitution advice for healthcare professionals
Watch this webinar to:
Gain understanding of
- Current evidence on dietary sweetness exposure and sweet preferences
- Behaviour change approaches to reducing unhealthy snacking habits
- The role of fibre, satiety and gut signalling in supporting substitution
- How evidence from sweet taste science, behaviour change and gut signalling can inform substitution advice in practice
Be aware of
- Why reducing sweetness exposure may not change sweet taste preferences or desire for sweet foods
- The importance of having a structured behaviour change strategy and putting it into practice early
- Why substitution can be used as one approach to changing unhealthy snacking habits
- How fibre rich whole foods may support satiety and influence the desire to reach for something sweet again
Be able to
- Translate current evidence on sweet taste, behaviour change and gut signalling into practical substitution advice
- Support patients and clients to choose and implement an appropriate behaviour change strategy
- Apply evidence on fibre and satiety when considering practical food substitutions
- Use the evidence to support practical, patient facing substitution guidance
Help us to continue providing expert nutrition learning
If MyNutriWeb has helped you deepen your knowledge of dietary and nutritional subjects, join us to help support and educate people to eat well for themselves and the planet. Read more...
Chair
Tanya Haffner
CEO RD MyNutriWeb, Chair of the BDA Sustainable Diets Group
Tanya is a registered dietitian, CEO, and founder of MyNutriWeb CIC educational hub and Nutrilicious consultancy and marketing. With 30+ years of experience working across healthcare, food, education, marketing and media, she helps to empower professionals and organisations to lead on nutrition and sustainability for the benefit of health planet and the economy. She is current Chair of the British Dietetic Association’s Sustainable Diets Group, supporting members to embed sustainability across nutrition and dietetic practice.
Expert speakers
Eva Marija Čad, PhD
Sensory and Eating Behaviour Scientist
Eva Marija Čad, is a researcher in sensory and consumer science at the Department of Food Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. Her research focuses on sensory perception of food, eating behaviour, and factors influencing food choice. She has a particular interest in sweet taste perception and preferences, an area in which she completed her PhD at Wageningen University & Research with the thesis Sweet Tooth: Nature or Nurture?
Jane Ogden
Professor in Health Psychology
Jane Ogden is a Professor in Heath Psychology (Emeritus) at the university of Surrey. She taught psychology, nutrition, dietician, medical and vet students to think more psychologically about health for nearly 40 years and ran courses on critical thinking and health psychology. She has published 9 books mostly on eating behaviour including most recently ‘how to eat well at every age’ (2026) and over 280 research papers. She is also a regular contributor to the media with a regular slot on BBC Radio Surrey and articles in inews.
This webinar is kindly supported by Driscoll’s
About Driscoll’s
Driscoll’s is the global market leader in fresh berries, working with independent growers to develop and supply great tasting strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. As a company focused on delighting consumers, Driscoll’s is committed to making nutritious, naturally sweet fruit an enjoyable part of everyday eating.
Please note, approval of each sponsor and activity is carefully assessed for suitability on a case by case basis. Sponsorship does not imply any endorsement of the brand by MyNutriWeb, its organisers, its moderators or any participating healthcare professional, or their association. Sponsorship funds are reinvested into the creation and promotion of professional development opportunities on MyNutriWeb.
You may also be interested in
Women’s Health and the Microbiome: A Scientific Overview
Milk Intolerance in Adults
IBS: Dietary, holistic & microbiota management
Popular Now
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Nutrition
Professor Paul Cotter: Gut microbiota and personalised nutrition: A focus on fermented foods
Low and no calorie sweeteners: your questions answered
Feature in a Webinar
Webinar guest experts encompass topics relevant to all professionals and change agents in food and health, across all health and business sectors.
Would you like to feature in a webinar, or propose a guest expert?
Sponsor a webinar
MyNutriWeb offers organisations and brands an opportunity to sponsor topics, gaining valuable insights into the viewpoints of professionals within a moderated environment. If there is a topic that you would like to support please get in touch to discuss.
