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Background: Improving our understanding of food-related healthiness perception may be beneficial to assist those with eating- and weight-related problems., Purpose: This study replicates and extends prior work by examining normative and person-specific predictors of the perceived healthiness of foods in a sample of free-living women., Methods: One hundred sixty-nine women from the community judged the healthiness of 104 foods that varied in fat, fiber, sugar, and protein content. Mixed-effects modeling estimated normative influences of food-specific and individual-specific characteristics on each participant's utilization of the nutrients when judging healthiness., Results: When judging healthiness, free-living women relied substantially on fat and fiber independently of other nutrients. In contrast, reliance on fat and fiber was moderated by the presence of protein and sugar. Three bivariate interactions emerged between: 1) fiber and sugar; 2) fat and protein; and 3) fiber and protein. Binge-eating symptoms and frequency of healthy food consumption positively correlated with independent reliance on fat as a predictor of perceived healthiness., Conclusions: Public health campaigns should continue to encourage free-living women to consume adequate amounts of protein. Additionally, free-living women should be reminded that the presence of sugar in foods without nourishing components (i.e., fiber, protein) is problematic, and consuming these foods in excess should be avoided. Healthy food consumption appears to enhance perceptions of food healthiness., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Craving and liking are related to eating-related problems, but less is known about the association of specific food characteristics (e.g., sugar, fat) with craving/liking. The relation of individual differences in eating behavior with these craving and liking patterns is also relatively unknown. We examine the nomothetic impact of sugar, fat and processing on food craving and liking and the moderation of these effects by idiographic factors (e.g., Body Mass Index [BMI], hunger). One hundred and five overweight and obese women completed craving and liking ratings on 180 foods that differed in levels of sugar, fat and processing. Food craving was linked positively to fat content, but negatively to sugar. Food liking was associated negatively with sugar content and processing level. Addictive-like eating predicted elevated overall food craving and liking, and increased craving and liking for processed foods. Attempted restriction efforts were unrelated to craving and liking. BMI was associated with less craving for fattier foods and lower liking for the average food. Hunger was associated with increased craving for the average food. These findings highlight the role of fat in cravings and differences in craving and liking based on BMI, loss of control over eating, and hunger. These findings are relevant to theories of problematic eating and the development of eating-related interventions., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)