Why is unhealthy food so tasty?
kylewiki
Posts: 7
Food companies spend millions every year developing tasty food products that will appeal to consumers.
In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia,2 they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible.
That’s what the food giant General Mills did in 1999 when it created Yoplait, the first yogurt that contained 2X the sugar of Lucky Charms cereal while being advertised as healthy. The question is: Are they to blame? According to the CEOs of these food giants, consumers have the power of choice and could simply pick healthier foods if they wanted to.
But we know this just doesn’t happen, and that this mindset comes with a huge price – the rise in obesity, type-2 diabetes and a ton of health problems for millions of people. So that’s what you have to fight against every day. Hundreds of scientists running huge experiments to develop the most tasty, addicting, appealing and probably fattening food products possible.
No wonder your broccoli and chicken meal seems bland and boring. I’m convinced that one of the keys to inevitable fat loss is making sure you meals are as mouth-watering as they are fat burning.
In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia,2 they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible.
That’s what the food giant General Mills did in 1999 when it created Yoplait, the first yogurt that contained 2X the sugar of Lucky Charms cereal while being advertised as healthy. The question is: Are they to blame? According to the CEOs of these food giants, consumers have the power of choice and could simply pick healthier foods if they wanted to.
But we know this just doesn’t happen, and that this mindset comes with a huge price – the rise in obesity, type-2 diabetes and a ton of health problems for millions of people. So that’s what you have to fight against every day. Hundreds of scientists running huge experiments to develop the most tasty, addicting, appealing and probably fattening food products possible.
No wonder your broccoli and chicken meal seems bland and boring. I’m convinced that one of the keys to inevitable fat loss is making sure you meals are as mouth-watering as they are fat burning.
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Replies
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Food can't burn fat, no matter how 'mouthwatering' they are. Unless you set it on fire, then it might,0
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Ultimately, it is your responsibility as a consumer to be aware of what you are consuming. It is the food companies responsibility to be honest in their nutrition labels.
However, I do mostly agree with you that consuming delicious foods helps your weight loss immensely.0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
I like you.
I think I shall have a cookie and ice cream in honor of this post! ....okay, I was going to eat it anyway, but now my dessert has purpose!0 -
I think if anything it is a shame that so many children are raised on junk food, not really knowing how to cook or prepare anything different. I don't know that one can blame the fast food outlets any more than one can blame the clothing companies that create clothing for a 5xl. Both are providing something fat people want.
I agree that a lot of sugar is hidden, young people don't know how much sugar is in that cup of fanta, for instance - but I suppose all we can really do is educate our own children and hope they pass some of it on.0 -
This.Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
It's all based on fear mongering and ignorance.0 -
I think if anything it is a shame that so many children are raised on junk food, not really knowing how to cook or prepare anything different. I don't know that one can blame the fast food outlets any more than one can blame the clothing companies that create clothing for a 5xl. Both are providing something fat people want.
I agree that a lot of sugar is hidden, young people don't know how much sugar is in that cup of fanta, for instance - but I suppose all we can really do is educate our own children and hope they pass some of it on.
Wut? :huh:0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
We should be friends0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
I like you.
I think I shall have a cookie and ice cream in honor of this post! ....okay, I was going to eat it anyway, but now my dessert has purpose!
Make that a double! I totally agree. I only wish someone would've explained nutrition to me earlier. I kind of blame my parents for that. I think educating children on nutrition (and most everything else) should be a parent's job.0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
I like you.
I think I shall have a cookie and ice cream in honor of this post! ....okay, I was going to eat it anyway, but now my dessert has purpose!
Make that a double! I totally agree. I only wish someone would've explained nutrition to me earlier. I kind of blame my parents for that. I think educating children on nutrition (and most everything else) should be a parent's job.
I was beginning to think everyone on MFP believed GMOs were the Devil's work and that looking upon them would cause fat cells to double in size! Thank you for proving otherwise!0 -
Wait, I have to be fat to want fast food? Crap, I guess I need to gain these 70 pounds I lost back...:grumble:I think if anything it is a shame that so many children are raised on junk food, not really knowing how to cook or prepare anything different. I don't know that one can blame the fast food outlets any more than one can blame the clothing companies that create clothing for a 5xl. Both are providing something fat people want.
I agree that a lot of sugar is hidden, young people don't know how much sugar is in that cup of fanta, for instance - but I suppose all we can really do is educate our own children and hope they pass some of it on.
Oh, and if you think sugar in soda is "hidden," you don't understand what the word "hidden" means. HINT: It doesn't mean it's the main ingredient. Hidden sugar means sugar is added to something that doesn't normally have sugar, like a company adding some sugar to their packaged chicken breast.0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
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Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
:flowerforyou: Ditto!0 -
>>TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank. <<
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“The question is: Are they to blame? ” How come no one actually answered your question? Yes. They are to blame. They are in the business to make money, to sell a product, to keep the customer coming back. They are not in business to promote good health, but to appeal to whatever it is in our prehistoric programming that makes us crave fat-salt-sugary foods. Ultimately, as others said, the choice is the consumer’s. No one *forces* us to buy unhealthy but delicious food. But if you notice, junk food is cheaper and more available and easier to put in our faces than barbecuing that chicken or sauteeing that broccoli. The food companies know this and they cater to our frail human weaknesses. What would you rather snack on: 2-bite brownies or an apple? It is up to us as individuals to try to overcome our programming and avoid those aisles of the grocery store where the foods you describe are stocked. Go straight to the produce section, the fish counter, etc. Make your own bread. Living and eating well requires a lot more of *your* time and effort. But the end results are definitely worth it.0
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when a TV commercial comes on for Red Lobster, I usually am out the door that weekend at Reb Lobster, then I realize I had seen a few commercials that week.. they really make their food yummy.
I also notice that when I happen to watch cooking shows or restaurant shows on tv, that i seem to really crave that food.
so its true for me that it works, and that just food that teases my eye senses.
When I first went on my MFP diet, I was eating "clean" ... one day my friend brought me a bag of cheetos. I put only one in my mouth. wow.. that bite of fake cheese taste just exploded in my mouth and turned on the craving more more.0 -
I don't blame corporations AT ALL and I don't blame ANYBODY, but I think it's a real shame that how to calculate and manipulate your TDEE is not common knowledge. This should be right up there with sex ed. You NEED to know how many calories it takes to run your body... it's like driving a car with no gas guage otherwise.
Now that I know exactly what it takes to maintain or lose, my life is so much easier and I don't feel guilty about eating any kind of food because essentially everything on Earth is made of the same stuff. The first little while was a learning curve in the sense that some food is more satisfying than others but now that I'm groovin' it's become a piece of cake <- see what I did there?
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I don't blame corporations AT ALL and I don't blame ANYBODY, but I think it's a real shame that how to calculate and manipulate your TDEE is not common knowledge. This should be right up there with sex ed. You NEED to know how many calories it takes to run your body... it's like driving a car with no gas guage otherwise.
Now that I know exactly what it takes to maintain or lose, my life is so much easier and I don't feel guilty about eating any kind of food because essentially everything on Earth is made of the same stuff. The first little while was a learning curve in the sense that some food is more satisfying than others but now that I'm groovin' it's become a piece of cake <- see what I did there?
I heart you so hard. :flowerforyou: 
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In for the science party!
Couldn't agree more that science is good, and food science is great. That being said, some of the big GMO companies do seem to have some sketchy business practices. Doesn't mean food science is bad, or that GMO food is bad either, but it does mean that we should pay attention and be appropriately skeptical.0 -
In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia,2 they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible.
Those *kitten*. :noway:
The only way to be healthy is if you wretch and gag at everything you fork into your mouth.
:drinker: Cauliflower everything!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker:0 -
I don't blame corporations AT ALL and I don't blame ANYBODY, but I think it's a real shame that how to calculate and manipulate your TDEE is not common knowledge. This should be right up there with sex ed. You NEED to know how many calories it takes to run your body... it's like driving a car with no gas guage otherwise.
Now that I know exactly what it takes to maintain or lose, my life is so much easier and I don't feel guilty about eating any kind of food because essentially everything on Earth is made of the same stuff. The first little while was a learning curve in the sense that some food is more satisfying than others but now that I'm groovin' it's become a piece of cake <- see what I did there?
I heart you so hard. :flowerforyou:
Yup...nutrition should be in the schools just like sex ed. So should financial planning and the working of simple interest loans - oh and taxes too! LOL
While I agree with a previous poster that parents should be teaching nutrition, I see too many kids who's parents don't even know where they are let alone what they are eating! I have a 17 year old attending public school and I am stunned at how little the parents of some of her friends care about what they are doing. My house is the one they all flock to because I give a piss about them all and they listen to me because of it. They eat my crazy cooking and learn about nutrition...in the summer they will help work in the garden and pick the food they help me prepare for dinner. It's cool to watch McDonalds babies start to think about what they eat!0 -
Anyone else notice the very similar nature of the OP's posts... this thread and 'his' other thread.... have all the earmarks of another rather new poster's threads? The attempts to 'educate' everyone.
Someone who's nick means 'lick' in French?
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Rich food is always tasty. But i seriously regret so much after eating junk. Its like a guilty pleasure.0
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Keeping "healthy" food from tasting bland and boring is as simple as buying a spice rack and a recipe book.
As a previous poster said, it's nonsense that commerce and scientific advancement are applauded in every other field, but rejected and demonized in the arena of food production.
If only education, common sene, and personal responsibility were lauded as much as quick fixes, blame shifting, and a sense of entitlement (ie. I'm entitled to have someone else make all my healthy choices for me.) then I think we would see a drastic shift in the numbers of people who are obese and unhealthy by their own hand.0 -
In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia,2 they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible.
I basically do this in my kitchen... I want my food to be tasty and to satisfy more than just my hunger. I just do it with more than salt, sugar, and fat - I also play with a lot of spices. Thus, my oven fried chicken gets better each and every time I make it since I am constantly tweaking to get the flavors that my family and I like. And if my family likes a dish so much that it becomes a regular, I consider my cooking a success.
So I have to cast my vote for "I don't blame them."0 -
Ok, serious question; why does the fact that massive corporations test their products to try and make them as marketable as possible treated by anyone as a revelation? Is it because we're talking about food products as opposed to say, web site design? Because the idea's the same; change variables in the product (fat/sugars/seasoning for mass produced food, clors and fonts and menu layouts for the site) so that people like it more.
Is it because they're using science on the food? Is the science suppose to scare me? Hell, I'm very pro-gmo; I want more genetic modifications to my food. I want the best of human intelligence making food more abundant, more easily produced, more flexible in it's growth requirements, more resistant to fungi. I want what was started when man first grew a crop...actually, scratch that, I want what was first started when man figured out meat + fire was better than meat alone, to continue. Why oh why would food science alarm me at all, when the only reason I have food is because of science? What, you think we got 6.5 or so billion humans on this mudball with unmodified nature? Lol.
As to food companies "manipulating" their foods to make them more appealing... spices. Multiple kinds of cookware. All the different ways to cook all the different parts of a pig. Once again, we've been manipulating the composition of our meals since we could cook, as opposed to just eating any old thing we found lying around as we found it. Is it suppose to be alarming now because we have more technology involved? Why?
TL;DR: Can someone tell me why the science of food taste and production is now alarming, when we've been doing it for thousands and thousands of years, because I'm drawing a blank.
This a gazillion times.0 -
:laugh:Anyone else notice the very similar nature of the OP's posts... this thread and 'his' other thread.... have all the earmarks of another rather new poster's threads? The attempts to 'educate' everyone.
Someone who's nick means 'lick' in French?0 -
SUGAR FAT AND SALT!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM GOOD
NOT!0 -
I basically do this in my kitchen... I I am constantly tweaking to get the flavors that my family and I like. And if my family likes a dish so much that it becomes a regular, I consider my cooking a success.In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia,2 they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible.
So, essentially, you are getting your family, 'addicted' to your cooking. For shame.
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I don't know that one can blame the fast food outlets any more than one can blame the clothing companies that create clothing for a 5xl. Both are providing something fat people want.
I think the bent of the original posting was to highlight the aggressive production and advertising of foods that are designed and marketed to create interest in consuming unhealthy foods. Because anyone who opens a magazine watches television, uses the internet or opens their mail is subject to advertising, it's important to be aware and prepared to resist its influence especially if food issues make you vulnerable.
I don't know that the comparison with clothing is quite valid. It is true that fat people do want clothing that fits. Addressing that market need is different, in my view, than creating it. I don't see a lot of ads enticing people to get fat so that they can wear plus-sized clothing.0
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