科学表明,想吃的就是最健康的
Say you get home after a long day of work and realize you're hungry. You open the fridge, craving a cupcake. No, you tell yourself. Do not eat that cupcake. You understand that despite your craving, you've read again and again that it's not a healthy choice. So you scour your pantry for alternatives - foods that pass your "health" screening, that you can eat without the pang of guilt and grease weighing you down after you've dined and devoured. You find rice cakes. Sure, you think. I can make those taste good. You've read that they're good for you. Maybe you slather one with peanut butter. Maybe you slice a banana. But let's be honest: Who has ever enjoyed a rice cake when they really want, well… a real cake? The chances are good that you don't enjoy your snack. You're physically full, but unsatisfied. You're still consuming carbs and fats from that snack - and a little arsenic, but you know that's no big deal. In theory, a nice balance. But according to science, you might not actually be absorbing the benefit from that unsavory snack you choked down. According to science, you might have been better off nutritionally having eaten and enjoyed the heck out of a cupcake instead. You see, the science tells us that nutrient absorption is somewhat reliant on enjoyment. If you're on a diet and eating a bunch of bland, banal food, you could actually be eating less healthily than you would be if you just ate the food you wanted. According to a relatively overlooked study conducted in 1977, people absorb more nutrients from food they savored than from food they didn't enjoy. The study collected nutrient absorption data from two groups: A group of Thai women and a group of Swedish women. They fed both groups a Southeast Asian dish reportedly adored among the Thai women and not so popular among the Swedes. The Thai women absorbed nearly 50 percent more nutrients than the Swedish women, resulting in better nutrition and health benefit from the meal overall. |