Recent Research about Food and the Folks Who Buy It

My guess is that there's more press and online coverage about food than almost any other topic (except perhaps presidential elections and wars).  Among all this food information are research studies and surveys. Here are just a few I came across recently and found either interesting or useful or both.

Alcoholic drinks made with artificially sweetened mixers:

The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter recently provided this warning based upon the results of an Australian study conducted a few years ago: If your alcoholic mixed drink is made with an artificial sweetener, it can get you intoxicated faster than one made with a sugary mix.  Why?  Sugar slows the absorption of the alcohol. A drink made with an artificial sweetener leaves the stomach faster, so the alcohol in it enters the bloodstream more rapidly.

 Furthermore, carbonated mixers with no calories will speed up the alcoholic absorption even more, according to another study mentioned by the Wellness Letter.  Here's the warning: "Just one mixed drink containing diet soda may be enough to raise your blood alcohol beyond the legal limit."

Today's grocery store shoppers:

A Chicago Tribune article primarily about Kraft cheese contained these facts about today's food shoppers:

- Customers are now spending less time in grocery stores.   In the last few years, they've shortened their time there about 10-15%. They now average less than 30 minutes per visit in the store.

- Customers select their dairy items in 24-30 seconds! This is true even though cheese purchases are planned 82% of the time.

- There are more relatively inexperienced customers buying food these days because men are now do more of the shopping, and they prepare 40% of the meals served at home. 

Social media and food information:

The Salt (NPR's food blog) recently covered a study with the impressive title of "Clicks and Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture."  The main point is that, when in search of a recipe or answers to food preparation questions, chefs no longer go to Mom for advice or consult Aunt Matilda's treasured cookbook.  Instead, they go online.  The social media have a great influence upon current food habits.  The study discovered that 50% of consumers use sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find answers to their food questions.  Another 40% say that they consult websites, apps, and blogs for food info.  (As you can imagine, this is a trend we heartily approve of.)

Not only do computer savvy folk go online to find answers; they also provide answers by sharing food information with friends and sometimes also with strangers.   One example: the recipe exchange I recently contributed to and received recipes from.  I knew the person who invited me to join the exchange, but I knew none of the people who later sent me their favorite recipes.

The researchers point out that food blogs are engaging people with food in a purely visual manner.  The other senses we generally associate with food--taste, scent, and touch (in the case of food, texture)--are not initially involved. 

Let's share. Please post a comment about your favorite food blog or website. Here's a blog I recommend that you look at. I can't vouch for the quality of its recipes since I haven't tried any yet, but the design deserves a prize. The blog is called Dramatic Pancake.  To reach it, click here.  Put the cursor on a food photo, and it turns over to reveal the chef. Click on a photo to get the recipe.

Kids and veggies:

I admit it.  This study was published a few years ago.  But it's so interesting I figured you'd want to know about it.  Ever wonder why kids push away vegetables?  Ever wonder why the asparagus you hated when you were a child tastes delicious to the adult you?  Well, a study conducted by researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia came up with the answer and About.com told all about it.

According to the study, dislike of bitter vegetables may be genetic.  Every person has two genes called TAS2RE8.  One of these genes is more sensitive to bitter tastes than the other.  A person with one or both of the bitter-sensitive genes is more likely to dislike foods that taste bitter.  The researchers found that about 80% of kids have one or both anti-bitter genes.  But, oddly enough, the genetic influence upon bitter tastes seems to diminish with age.  The mothers of children with the bitter-sensitive gene(s) seem to have their tastes more affected by race and ethnicity than genetic makeup. 

I love this study because it described me. As a stubborn little kid, I remember refusing to eat most veggies, whereupon my much older, parent-like brother would tell my mother, "Don't give her any meat until she eats her vegetables."  If my mother had listened to him, I would have starved to death before the age of 7.  Fortunately for me, she was too indulgent to embark upon tough-love.  Now, I eat many of the veggies I hated in childhood.

What can parent to do to entice a non-veggie eater to change his/her ways?  Be patient and wait it out, or mask the bitter taste with a sweet sauce or a cheese sauce. A broccoli 'n cheese combo doesn't taste much like broccoli.  Glazed carrots taste more sweet than bitter. 

Of course, sauces add calories, so here are some other ways cut down on the bitter taste of veggies:   Don't overcook them; that makes them more bitter.  Switch to canned or frozen varieties, which are likely to be less bitter.  Switch to baby vegetables, which are usually less bitter than the mature varieties.  Use spices or herbs to improve the taste, or add olive oil and roast the veggies.  Finally, serve them in soups and pastas or sprinkle them atop a pizza. 

Note: Another explanation for why some people dislike veggies appeared on Yahoo! Voices and said that some folks are "supertasters." They're unusually sensitive to a chemical known as 6-propylthiouricil (PROP for short), which is in some fruits and veggies including broccoli and grapefruit.

Source(s):

University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter June 2012

Chicago Tribune "Kraft puts cheese front and center" July 22, 2012

Seattle Times "Kraft takes new approach to cheese case"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018790911_kraftcheese29.html

npr.org "Bloggers Replace Mom's Recipe Box As Source of Food Knowledge"

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/02/147809819/bloggers-replace-moms-recipe-box-as-source-of-food-knowledge 

nutrition.about.com "Why Children Hate Vegetables" 

http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren/a/bitterstudy.htm 

voices.yahoo.com "How to Improve the Taste of Bitter Vegetables"

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-improve-taste-bitter-vegetables-3764058.html