by Bran Herbert

Created on: July 30, 2007

The answer here is taste, and the reason why may surprise you.

In a perfect world, chocolate truffles or, for those rare chocolate haters, ice cream or cookies - would contain your daily helping of zinc, calcium, B12, and vitamin C. In this world, healthy living would be a no-brainer. You could pick your desert of the day without having to feel guilty, satisfied in the knowledge that it was as good for you as a serving of vegetables.

The sad fact, however, is that we do not live in that world. In our world, the tastiest meals are often saturated in fat and dripping with cholesterol while also getting the bulk of the advertising attention. The other sad fact of this world of ours is that we're human: we like eating what tastes good. And, let's face it, a protein bar that tastes about as good as a block of chalk isn't likely to get our taste buds somersaulting in glee. That's why most protein bars on the shelf have tantalizing images of chocolate or vanilla frosting with peanut-butter filling.

That said, the most important thing when it comes to considering food is taste. That may seem counterintuitive, but consider that the average American eats out one in five meals. That comes out to an average of 73 meals a year at restaurants. Add to that fast food chains and commercially prepared food at grocery stores, and that number rises even higher.

Part of the reason for the eating out habit could be explained by the fact that you don't have to worry about dishes and you get to socialize with your friends and family. But, truthfully, when you choose a restaurant to go out to with friends, are you really more concerned about how conducive the ambiance is to your conversation than the quality of the food? My guess is no.

It isn't that food at home tastes bad, exactly it's just that restaurant food seems to taste better, which goes a long way towards explaining its popularity. It should also, I think, show just how important taste is. A meal can be the most nutritional thing in the world, but if it tastes like moldy feet, you aren't going to eat it, at least not as regularly as you probably should.

To find a better strategy, we need look no further than the brains behind the protein bar advertisements. They found out early on that if you make a bar look and taste bland, it doesn't matter how good it is for you. It won't sell. It's just the way people think. But, if you tweak the formula a bit to include some sweetness and flavor, suddenly people start paying attention. The product didn't become unhealthy, its presentation simply changed and often with very little nutritional trade off.

So the next time you wonder whether you should get a salad with or without dressing, go for the dressing. If the better taste makes you more likely to stick to your healthy diet, the benefits over the long term will outweigh the nutrition you sacrifice today.

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