One question has followed me throughout my career: Why do people engage with health interventions - or choose not to? I have explored that question in nutrition, public health, media psychology, and now digital mental health. Although the settings have changed, one observation has remained remarkably consistent. People often know what they should do. They know what constitutes a healthy diet. They understand the benefits of physical activity. They know vaccines prevent disease. They recognize...

Children see a chocolate-covered snack bar for three seconds. They do not eat it. They do not smell it. They do not touch it. Yet somehow, they want it. A week later, they are asking for it in the grocery store. This is one of the most remarkable shifts happening in pediatric nutrition today. Children are forming relationships with foods before they ever experience them. Not through taste, but through psychology. Every day, children encounter an endless stream of food content engineered...

Can AI nutrition apps support healthy habits, or can they quietly replace them? Here's what to watch for. Hala downloaded a nutrition app because she wanted to eat better. At first, it was a win. She felt mindful, liked the reminders, and those daily streaks. They were pure motivation. But over time, the feeling shifted. She felt a pang of anxiety if she missed a log. She found herself checking the app before every meal—not for ideas, but for permission. If she strayed from the plan, guilt...