by Ryan Robert Hallett

Created on: August 17, 2009

I'm pretty sure the answer here is right in the question.

Which is more important when it comes to health food? Well, assuming the opposite of health food is food containing added salt or sugar, chemical additives, trans fats and the like, then it is clear that most of the things that are bad for your health regarding conventional food are there to enhance flavor. The remainder are to lengthen shelf life, as in making it taste good longer, as well as for presentation. Presentation itself is related to taste, as any successful restaurateur or food manufacturer knows. It gives the expectation of a flavor.

On the other hand you have so-called "health food", which generally contains fewer or none of these additives, and for that reason some people assume that it is all alike and believe it all tastes bad. In addition to healthier versions of other more or less "normal" foods, health food also may refer to products with added nutritional supplementation or plant extracts, etc., with the sole purpose of enhancing nutrition. In such a case, where taste is clearly secondary if at all important, it may be fair to make an accusation of bad taste. There have been some pretty strange trends in the often-wacky world of health food. Aside from these extreme cases, however, the culinary equivalents of Buckley's cough syrup, manufacturers generally make some effort to make their food taste good. In fact, some take pride in it. It's good for business.

Great strides have been made over the years to improve the formulas of healthy recipes. In addition, globalization has brought us greater knowledge of the plethora of healthy dishes eaten throughout the world, and the new trend toward a healthier global lifestyle is keeping fresher health food on the shelves. Nonetheless, taste is still secondary to nutrition when someone is deliberately seeking out a "health food".

However, it should be noted that healthy eaters generally don't live in misery for lack of good food, tossing and turning in bed at night with sobbing taste buds. Super sweet, salty, or fried foods are basically addictive. How many times have you eaten too much chocolate cheesecake when you knew it was a bad idea, only to have your prediction come sickeningly true? How many times have you lusted after a real Hot Tamale, of either the literal or figurative variety, despite knowing that it or he or she is bad for you? When you come off of that high for a little while, you may find the "blander" foods perfectly adequate. Over time, you may find Twinkies and deep fried beef a little much.

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