Is there any evidence for the theory that things taste better if they contain nutrients that the body needs?
I had a banana this morning and it tasted great. Is that why?
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2What would be the control group(s) for this experiment? e.g. (1) food tastes good and contain necessary nutrients (2) food doesn't taste good but contains necessary nutrients (3) food tastes good but is nutritionally useless or harmful (4) food doesn't taste good and is nutritionally useless or harmful.– user2547Commented May 15, 2011 at 22:01
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1Also, regarding "nutrients", shall we consider (1) basic nutrients such as calories which were scarce historically but overabundant in modern food (2) known vitamins and life-essential micronutrients, for which we can apply the "control group experiment" mentioned earlier, or (3) any family of phytochemicals, for which the health claims have not yet been established?– user2547Commented May 15, 2011 at 22:06
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1I remember reading a survival story where a guy found fish eyeballs delectable because he figured they contained something he needed. Either that, or he rationalized it in order to muck it down. Human perceptions are very weird!– Larian LeQuellaCommented May 15, 2011 at 23:16
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Regardless of the answer to your question, it would most certainly be a correlation and not a universal truth. The body needs calcium, and yet I hate milk, and I absolutely loathe cheese. I don't think I could eat a cheeseburger even if I were on the brink of starvation. I couldn't name a single natural source of calcium that I like. I just dislike some less than others.– MichaelCommented May 16, 2011 at 5:28
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If this were true, then wouldn't all cultures find the same things to taste 'good'? Sodas (pop, coke, whatever) are vastly different from country to country. Same with candies. For a culture day, we bought some Chinese candy in to U.S. children. While the candy is popular in China, every child here spit it out as 'uneatable'.– fredCommented May 16, 2011 at 17:11
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1 Answer
In principle, yes. There are a few reports in the literature demonstrating that nutritional needs affect taste responsiveness. But, probably, is not known how extensive is the change or what is the threshold in nutritional status required for the change in taste responsiveness.
Database searched: PubMed
Search terms: food taste nutritional needs
Below, I show you the titles (with links to the abstracts), and one highlighted sentence of the abstract per publication. I did not read each whole article, but these are peer-reviewed, indexed publications, meaning that independent researchers in the field evaluated the text before being approved for publication.
Glucagon signaling modulates sweet taste responsiveness.
(In mice,) glucagon, which plays important roles in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis, enhances sweet taste responsiveness through local actions in the mouse gustatory epithelium.
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Therefore, deer may be selecting minerals according to nutritional requirements.
Children's food acceptance patterns: the interface of ontogeny and nutrition needs.
Children's eating behaviors are driven by nutrient needs for growth and health
Appetite and taste preference in growing rats given various levels of protein nutrition.
The animals' primary concern was energy intake and their second concern was protein nutrition, regardless of flavoring.
