Liking for sugar is instinctive. Newborn babies can be seen to react pleasurably to it. And fat’s appeal is not that it tastes nice but that it is crucial to other tastes. The fat in ice-cream keeps the crystal small and stabilizes it, without fat, it tends to be gritty and melt too fast. Fat has large round molecules, which feel smooth on the tongue.
There may be something deeper to people’s liking for fat and sugar than molecules titillating the tongue. Several studies have suggested a link between fatty foods and mood. Foods we eat affect our mood. Foods high in carbohydrates (pasta, chips, sweets) alters the availability of trytophan, an amino acid involved with serotonin, which regulates mood. In my opinion, sugar and fat make people feel and behave better. People who are already gloomy seem particularly susceptible. That may help explain why premenstrual women have a tendency to overdo the chocolate, and why people get fat when they give up smoking.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs and diets, suggested that although lowering cholesterol cut deaths from heart disease, it increased deaths from suicides, accidents and fights. Women with low cholesterol levels who had given birth were more susceptible to depression than those with normal or high levels.
Taste is instinct and a habit as well. Once people are used to fatty and sugary foods, they find it hard to give them up. For now, it’s important to know that not all fats and carbohydrates are bad for you. So, the nest time you free yourself from fat-free and sugar-free diets, don’t feel too guilty.
If you wish to share your thoughts and comments, visit my site. Thanks.
