Why don't we like healthy food?

[CKent]

The biological impulse to eat calorie-laden food in preparation for times of famine makes perfect sense, I can totally see why it was an evolutionary advantage. So why isn't it the same way with vitamin-laden food? Doesn't it stand to reason that we'd evolve to crave foods which would help us in an equally important way?

Brb, getting another slice of pizza

 

[Kaervak]

Speak for yourself, I just finished a bowl of yogurt with granola, and a banana.

 

[tfinch2]

Because junk food tastes good?

Speaking of which, Sam's Club has the best pizza.

 

[edro]

Because all natural food IS good for you. BTW... the vitamin-laden food IS good compared to others.

ie... oranges, apples, grapes, etc. These are delicious compared to bran or raw meat.

 

[dighn]

I"m sure there are many many reasons. but vitamins are only needed in trace quantities so I doubt they'd be "tastable"

 

[Howard]

Who says healthy food tastes bad?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

Alright. What I meant to say was "who says all healthy food tastes bad?"

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

A burger is only unhealthy if you want it to be. There is a world of difference between fast food ****** and one you've made yourself with lean beef, lots of veggies, old cheddar etc.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: CKent
The biological impulse to eat calorie-laden food in preparation for times of famine makes perfect sense, I can totally see why it was an evolutionary advantage. So why isn't it the same way with vitamin-laden food? Doesn't it stand to reason that we'd evolve to crave foods which would help us in an equally important way?

Brb, getting another slice of pizza

No.

A neolithic diet would have been lean, but healthy by our standards.. Raw foods, lots of fiber, mostly plants and nuts with little meat.

We are driven to crave sweets and fatty foods, because they're difficult to come by in a hunter-gatherer setting. Children exhibit this to an extreme, and would need to in order to guarantee a share.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Martin

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

A burger is only unhealthy if you want it to be. There is a world of difference between fast food ****** and one you've made yourself with lean beef, lots of veggies, old cheddar etc.

You might as well eat a leather shoe if you make a burger with lean meat.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

Alright. What I meant to say was "who says all healthy food tastes bad?"

And again, it's not a taste thing. It's a crave/desire thing. We don't crave apples or blueberries. We want the sugar and butter laden pie they come in. We don't want plain boring old chicken. We want butterer, smothered, and deep fried wings. Our bodies don't crave things that are healthy for us. They scream out for the worse things we could put in them.

I eat a spinach salad every day for lunch with a very light drizzle of honey mustard dressing on it. I don't mind it. It doesn't taste bad. But I never find myself going "You know, I could really tear into a big old spinach salad right about now".

No, it's usually a bag of doritos and a quart of ice cream that we say that about.

 

[Mallow]

we are programed to like fat b/c it was a scarce resource in our early evolutionary history

 

[hjo3]

I'm pretty sure that if you begin to develop a vitamin deficiency you eventually crave foods with the needed elements. I remember someone telling me about a study where toddlers were allowed to choose what they ate from a set array over a period of weeks -- given enough time, most would eventually choose to eat an item that tasted bad but contained essential nutrients.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Howard
Who says healthy food tastes bad?

It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't taste as good as fat drenched, carb laden, sodium smothered greasy goodness.

I'm sorry but I don't crave a cold lump of tofu like I do a bacon and bbq sauce smothered 1/4 cheeseburger.

I actually crave tofu and other soy products
must be my asian genes?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: CKent
The biological impulse to eat calorie-laden food in preparation for times of famine makes perfect sense, I can totally see why it was an evolutionary advantage. So why isn't it the same way with vitamin-laden food? Doesn't it stand to reason that we'd evolve to crave foods which would help us in an equally important way?

Brb, getting another slice of pizza

It did serve us well. Previous to the existence of prepared foods and a "modern diet," good taste brought with it vitamins and other nutrients we needed.

Now we have learned how to separate the good taste from the nutrition, and concentrate it. Sweet things would often bring things like vitamin C, vitamin A, and various other vitamins. Meat gave protein, and a quick boost of calories in a convenient package that wasn't always readily available. Leafy greens provided fiber, and perhaps some iron.
Things like chocolate bars and soda satisfy the craving for sweet things, normally satiated by eating fruits. But with the sugar comes a minimum of vitamins. Meat may be eaten too frequently, as it no longer needs to be stalked and killed by hunters using primitive weapons.

Our tastes did evolve to keep us healthy. But we figured out how to manipulate that system, without enough foresight to be ready for the consequences.

 

[mrrman]

I am switching to whole wheat pasta over white now...I actually made rigatoni tonight and it was good...so far I am liking the whole wheat taste

 

[Amused]

What is considered "bad" food today, was highly prized high quality foods in pre-civilized times. High calorie, high fat foods were rare and prized then. Those who were able to gather more of them were more likely to survive well into breeding age, thus we evolved a craving for them.

While our surroundings have changed, or genetics have not. We no longer have to do physical labor for our food, and food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

We are somewhat the victims of our own success... but not really, because even the morbidly obese live well past the breeding age.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Amused
While our surroundings have changed, or genetics have not. We no longer have to do physical labor for our food, and food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

Uh, I had to carry my triple bacon cheeseburger all the way from my car to my desk. If that's not manual labor, I don't know what is.

 

[Agentbolt]

Uh, I had to carry my triple bacon cheeseburger all the way from my car to my desk. If that's not manual labor, I don't know what is.

:thumbsup:

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Amused
While our surroundings have changed, or genetics have not. We no longer have to do physical labor for our food, and food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

Uh, I had to carry my triple bacon cheeseburger all the way from my car to my desk. If that's not manual labor, I don't know what is.

No, manual labor is chasing down the wild cow, killing cleaning and cooking it. Doing the same with the pig. Farming the wheat and turning it into bread. Oh, and making the cheese.

 

[Kirby64]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Amused
While our surroundings have changed, or genetics have not. We no longer have to do physical labor for our food, and food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

Uh, I had to carry my triple bacon cheeseburger all the way from my car to my desk. If that's not manual labor, I don't know what is.

No, manual laber is chasing down the wild cow, killing cleaning and cooking it. Doing the same with the pig. Farming the wheat and turning it into bread. Oh, and making the cheese.

Wild cow? Where might I find these 'wild' cows?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Kirby64

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Amused
While our surroundings have changed, or genetics have not. We no longer have to do physical labor for our food, and food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

Uh, I had to carry my triple bacon cheeseburger all the way from my car to my desk. If that's not manual labor, I don't know what is.

No, manual labor is chasing down the wild cow, killing cleaning and cooking it. Doing the same with the pig. Farming the wheat and turning it into bread. Oh, and making the cheese.

Wild cow? Where might I find these 'wild' cows?

In the age of the hunter/gatherer, of course.

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
Because junk food tastes good?

Speaking of which, Sam's Club has the best pizza.

FTW, :thumbsup: /thread, etc

"Health" food is expensive, junk food is cheap.

 

[swimscubasteve]

Fritos werent around while we were evolving.