Health Article: Health Vs Taste

Datamoniter, an online researcher and analyzer, administered a survey, and deduced that "taste is still a more significant deciding factor than health in impulse snack food selection." The study included over one thousand people in the United States and Europe. It showed that people still prefer taste over health, and that healthy snack food, according to the interviewed, needs to be improved taste-wise. Datamoniter observed that health snacks are claiming their products are beneficial, and, rather than simply noting the absence of fat or carbohydrates, the snacks have things such as antioxidants. While this may be appealing to some, the overall decision factor among consumers was taste. Datamoniter recommended that "producers improve the taste of their healthy snack options," an alternative which "could vastly increase sales." Mike Adams, a health advocate and author, sums up the results of the survey: "This study shows that most consumers still think of food as entertainment rather than nourishment," a concept which certainly adds to the vast number of patients who struggle with heart and weight issues.

Reading this article reminded me of an article I read last semester, about mindless eating, and which touched on another study which showed that people preferred taste to health. I recognize that pattern in myself, as well. I would rather eat something that tastes good than a healthy meal or snack. Unfortunately, I don't often think of the delicious, healthy snacks we have in the house. I think that IÐ'--and a lot of the populationÐ'--forget that nutritious food is allowed to taste good! The side affects of this can, of course, be deadly. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. And while some of these cases are not due to food, America has the largest number of overweight and obese people, which leads to many failing hearts. I do not think that most citizens know how important a healthy diet is, or how to resist temptation, or even why they should resist. I would be interested in learning more about the thinking patterns of people when it comes to their diets.

...