YumSugar

Healthy Menu Options May Lead to Overindulgence

partysugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:50:31 -0700

The question "would you like fries or salad with that?" is one regularly asked by waitresses across the nation. While it's easy to think the answer is a personal decision that reflects one's eating habits, a soon-to-be-released study shows differently.

The New York Times reports that "the presence of healthy options on a menu can induce some diners to eat less healthily than they otherwise would." In the study, a group of college students were given two menus. One featured regular fast-food items (chicken nuggets, french fries, etc.) and the other was exactly the same with the addition of a salad. When choosing from the first menu, only 10 percent of the subjects ordered french fries. However, when given the menu with salad as an option, 33 percent of the same subjects asked for french fries.

This is an interesting concept and I'm curious to read the report, by the Journal of Consumer Research, when it comes out. Until then, I can only speak about my own experiences and the truth is I've looked at salad on a menu many times and thought, "I should have a salad. . .nah, I'll get the fries." What do you think of the news? Have you ever shunned a healthier dish for something more indulgent?

Source

Calcium = The Sixth Taste?

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:00:46 -0700

Scientists in Philadelphia have discovered that mice can taste calcium. Since humans and rodents share many of the same genes, the human tongue should taste calcium as well. For centuries the four basic tastes were sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. However when umami, the fifth "savory" taste, was recognized 100 years ago, the door opened to research other tastes. According to Michael Tordoff, a geneticist who participated in the mice study, a human's palate can detect the mineral. It tastes:

Calcium tastes calcium-y, there isn't a better word for it. It is bitter, perhaps even a little sour. But it's much more because there are actual receptors for calcium, not just bitter or sour compounds.

Tordoff claims that the bitterness of certain vegetables, like bok choy or dark greens, is due to high levels of calcium. Although milk is full of calcium, the fats prevent us from tasting it.

Since I've always thought it was crazy that only four basic tastes exist, the discovery is incredibly interesting, and I think that maybe I've tasted calcium. What do you make of the findings? Have you ever tasted calcium?

Source

Hate Trying New Foods? Blame Your Genes

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:01:33 -0700

If you know anyone who has a fear of new foods - food neophobia - it might not be their attitude, it might actually be their genes.

In a recent study at University College of London, scientists determined that almost 80 percent of children's tendency to dislike unfamiliar foods was inherited. Dr. Lucy J. Cooke stated:

"Parents can be reassured that their child's reluctance to try new foods is not simply the result of poor parental feeding practices, but it is partly in the genes."

The study used twins as subjects in order to separate the effects of genes and environments - identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, fraternal twins share about 50 percent, while both share the same environment.

Once the results were in, they discovered that the identical twins were more likely to share food neophobias than the fraternal twins. Simple translation: identical twins have the same phobias, while fraternal twins have different ones, proving that food neophobias are related to genes.

However, just because it is in someone's genes, doesn't mean they can't overcome it. Research has also shown that the more frequently children are offered a particular food, the more likely they are to enjoy it.

So start offering your little ones brussel sprouts everyday and who knows, they might start liking them eventually.

Source: CNN

Are Recipes By Female Chefs More Complicated Than Those By Male Chefs?

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:03:38 -0700

The UK Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills recently completed a study that looked at 35 recipes published by five UK celebrity chefs - Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater. It turns out that while these folks make cooking look simple, their recipes can be difficult to follow. Actually, of the five chefs, only the recipes from the two women chefs were considered overly complicated.

While Gordon Ramsay's recipes were considered "so simple they can be followed by a seven-year-old," Nigella and Delia's were deemed too "chatty."

"[The study] found that 5.2million adults in the UK would be unable to follow Nigella's cooking methods as she uses longer sentences and tends to write in a "chatty" style, mixing in personal observations with her instructions.

"Delia Smith's culinary teaching was also criticised for having too many stages and using measurements confusing for anyone with poor numeracy skills.
"She also sprinkles too many adjectives into her recipes."

The study was intended to highlight the UK Government's adult learning campaign, but actually turned up the fact that the high profile male chefs deliver easier, simpler recipes than their female counterparts.

What do you guys think? Are you familiar with their recipes, do you agree? Also, if the study was conducted on US chefs, do you think the same would be said? Do you think Bobby Flay's recipes would be easier to follow than Giada De Laurentiis's?

Source: Daily Mail
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What's The Best Dark Chocolate Bar?

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:13:18 -0700

There have been so many studies on the benefits of eating dark chocolate, that the market has become flooded with dark chocolate bar options. There are organic bars and imported bars, bars with nibs and bars without, so how do you know which ones are worth eating? You could buy a bunch of bars and figure it out yourself - which doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the evening - or you could rely on a new Consumer Reports study. The study tested 14 bars and determined that the favorite was the Extra Dark 65% Cacao Reserve with Cacao Nibs by Hershey's. The trained testers enjoyed it due to its complex, flavor, chocolate taste and overall smoothness. They also felt that it was "a treat to nibble and savor."

To find what the other 13 bars they tasted, and the order in which they were ranked, read more

These are the results ranked in order of overall quality. Do you agree with them? Is your favorite dark chocolate represented here?

Source: Consumer Reports

Can You Judge Beer By Its Taste?

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:08:32 -0800

Okay, since we're sort of on the topic of beers, I thought this story would be interesting to share. A new study by Leonard Lee (of Columbia University) had 388 people taste-test two different beers: one regular and one doctored with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. The participants were then divided into three different groups:

Those who knew nothing about the balsamic
Those who were told about the balsamic ahead of time
Those who were told about the balsamic, but after they drank it and before they voted

To see the surprising results of the taste test, read more.

Turns out the group who knew nothing preferred the vinegar, while those who knew about the vinegar preferred the plain. Pretty interesting if you ask me. Sounds like balsamic might enhance beers flavor, but that if you know about it you're going to stay away. Apparently we do this sort of thing all the time:

Past research has revealed that knowing the brand or other information about a product can lead to higher consumer ratings.

For instance, Coke is rated higher when consumed from a cup bearing the drink's logo compared with one that is unmarked.

Which leads us to this question: how are our taste buds supposed to know if something is good when our brains are obviously out to foil us?

Source: Fox News

Are Rejected Melons the Next Form of Renewable Energy?

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:03 -0700

A colossal food fight is one way to use up the season's supply of subpar produce. But scientists have discovered another: convert rejected fruits into biofuel. The study, conducted by USDA researchers and published in the journal Biotechnology For Biofuels, found that the 360,000 tons of fruit rejected by US retailers each year could be converted into roughly two million gallons of biofuel. Research team leader Wayne Fish said that 50 percent of the fruit, which is typically left in the fields and not sold due to cosmetic imperfections, is fermentable into ethanol, which can be used as fuel, “We’ve shown that the juice of these melons is a source of readily fermentable sugars, representing a heretofore untapped feedstock for ethanol biofuel production." I'd never considered that fruit could be a viable source of renewable energy - but I find it refreshing (although perhaps not as refreshing as, say, an In-Sandíary).

Are you surprised to hear that watermelon could have potential past the typical Summer barbecue?

Study Reveals UK Throws Away $20 Billion in Food a Year

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:30:44 -0800

With the biggest meal of the year a mere two weeks away, here's something to keep in mind: reducing food waste. The British government has just released a new report that reveals each year, the country throws away more than $20 billion in consumable food and drink.

According to the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), the UK's food waste is topping 6.6 million tons annually. By tossing less, consumers could prevent food from being directed to landfill sites - an act that would prevent 15 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions yearly. (Once it becomes landfill, food produces methane, another potent greenhouse gas.) WRAP aims to reduce waste by 250,000 tons by March 2011.

I can only imagine what the results of a food waste study would be in the United States. Hopefully, this is an initiative that our administration is looking into - although the first step is definitely consumer awareness. How mindful are you of not wasting food?

What Should You Do on a Cold Rainy Day?

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:50:43 -0800

Here are highlights from the OnSugar blog Cakes Icecreams Tarts And.

That's right, you should bake brownies! 'Cause I'm sure you've already got all the ingredients at home, yeah? Chocolate chips, cocoa powder, plain flour, eggs, butter . . . Okay, now you're ready to go into the kitchen! Anyway, It has been raining since morning and, you know, one gets lazy when it rains. I decided to postpone my study plans till tonight, and to stop being envious of all the bakers who'd been baking recently when I had buried myself among my books, I BAKED!

To see her decadent brownie recipe, read more

Does Soda Mess With Your DNA?

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 06:58:31 -0700

All of you soda drinkers might want to pay attention to this one. A new study from Britain's Sheffield University is linking sodium benzoate, a preservative found in some sodas, to cell damage. Research is suggesting that the preservative has the ability to switch vital parts of DNA.

Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether."

It can be identified in soft drinks by the phrase "sodium benzoate" or E211. Oh and in case you were wondering, it is also used in fireworks as a powder that makes the whistling noises.

This is not the first time sodium benzoate has found its way into the spotlight. In March of 2006, the Food & Drug Administration was said to be running tests on whether or not combined with ascorbic acid, heat and light, it forms benzene, a known carcinogen.

Source: The Independent via Boing Boing