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April: Nutrition Information Media Release | News and Features

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Pioneering research sheds new light on what drives people’s basic food preferences, and our choices are smarter than previously thought, not just the calories we need, but the specific It has been shown that it can be influenced by nutrients.

Led by the University of Bristol, UK, this international study re-examines the widely held view that humans have evolved to prefer energy-dense foods, and that simply eating a variety of foods helps keep our diets balanced. and is intended to be verified. Contrary to this belief, the findings revealed that people appear to have “nutritional wisdom” in choosing foods to meet their vitamin and mineral needs and avoid nutritional deficiencies. .

Jeff Brunstrom, lead author and professor of experimental psychology, said: For the first time in almost a century, humans seem to be more sophisticated in their food choices, choosing based on specific micronutrients rather than simply eating everything and defaulting to what they need. .

Articles published in journals appetite, giving new weight to a bold study conducted in the 1930s by American pediatrician Dr. Clara Davis.33 Foods. Although none of the children ate the same combination of foods, all achieved and maintained good health, which was considered evidence of “nutritional wisdom.”

That finding was later scrutinized and criticized, but it was impossible to replicate Davis’ study. Nearly a century has passed since we tried to find evidence of the wisdom of functioning human nutrition.

To overcome these barriers, Brunstrom’s team measures preferences by showing people images of different fruit and vegetable combinations so they can analyze their choices without jeopardizing their health and well-being. I developed a new method.

A total of 128 adults participated in the two experiments. Initial studies showed that people preferred certain food combinations over others. For example, apples and bananas are likely to be selected slightly more than apples and blackberries. Surprisingly, these preferences seem to be predicted by the amount of micronutrients in the pair and whether their combination provides a different micronutrient balance. Conducted his second experiment with food and ruled out other explanations.

To complement and collate these findings, the actual diet combinations reported in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey were investigated. Similarly, these data indicate that people are combining their diets in ways that increase their exposure to dietary micronutrients. Popular British diet components such as ‘Chips and Curry’ appear to provide a broader range of micronutrients than randomly generated meal combinations such as ‘chips and curry’.

The study is also notable for featuring unusual collaborations.Professor Branstrom’s Co-authored by journalist and author Mark Schatzker, resident writer at the Center for Modern Dietary and Physiological Research, affiliated with Yale University. In 2018, the two met at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Intake Behavioral Research in Florida, where Schatzker spoke about his book. Dorito effectexamining how flavors in whole and processed foods have changed and their impact on health and wellness.

Interestingly, the work of Professor Brunstrom and Mark Schatzker began with a disagreement.

Professor Brunstrom explains: For example, fine wines, rare spices and wild mushrooms are very popular, but they are a poor source of calories, he said.

“This was all so intriguing that I went to see him at the end and basically said: ‘Great story, but I think you’re probably wrong. We’ll test it.’ That was the start of this wonderful journey that ultimately suggests I was wrong. Humans seem to have a discerning intelligence when it comes to choosing a high diet.”

Mark Schatzker adds: For example, our cultural adherence to fad diets that limit or forbid the consumption of certain types of food disrupts or sabotages this dietary “intelligence” in ways we do not understand. mosquito?”

“Studies show that animals use taste as a guide to the vitamins and minerals they need. may be imbuing it with a false “brightness” of nutrition. In other words, the food industry may be turning our nutritional wisdom against us, forcing us to eat foods we normally avoid, contributing to the obesity epidemic.

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