A contrarian view of the wisdom of the body as it relates to dietary self-selection.

Galef, Bennett G.

doi:10.1037/0033-295x.98.2.218

Cited by 76 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A few researchers have emphasized social factors (Galef, 1991;Rozin, 1990). The present results suggest that more attention should be given to the rewarding chemosensory effects of nutrients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…If flavor preferences are reinforced by the postingestive effects of starch, offering only one training solution at a time should produce more effective conditioning than offering both rewarded and unrewarded fluids simultaneously (Bolles, Hayward, & Crandall, 1981;Galef, 1991). Although flavor preferences can be conditioned by postingestive events when rats are offered reinforced and nonreinforced solutions simultaneously (Baker & Booth, 1989;Drucker, Ackroff, & Sclafani, 1993), such a procedure should not produce optimal conditioning.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Flavor preferences conditioned with starch in rats

Ramírez

1994

Animal Learning & Behavior

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Rats were trained to associate artificial cherry or grape flavors with 1% starch suspensions. Conditioning was assessed by offering the rats a choice of the cherry versus grape flavors without starch. Conditioned preferences were moderately strong and persistent; 3 days of conditioning produced a preference that did not fully extinguish within 18 days. Food deprivation substantially increased intake of 1% starch suspension. However, the degree of preference conditioned was not influenced by the availability of food during the conditioning period; the rats that had been food deprived during training acquired as strong a preference as did those fed freely during training. The degree of preference obtained was similar in the rats given reinforcing and nonreinforcing fluids simultaneously or sequentially. Starch conditioned a slightly stronger preference than did the same concentration of glucose, even though these substances contain the same amount of calories. A statistically significant, but weak, preference was conditioned by 0.5%, but not by 0.25%, starch. It is proposed that the flavor of starch, independent of its calories, is reinforcing to rats. 181Pairing a flavor with a nutrient increases subsequent preference for the flavor

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flavor preferences conditioned with starch in rats

Ramírez

1994

Animal Learning & Behavior

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“…Children do not intuitively know what foods are good for them (Galef, 1991;Story & Brown, 1987). If they were allowed to choose their food freely they would opt for sweet and salty tastes (Desor, Greene, & Maller, 1975) as well as high-fat foods (Birch, 1992;Mela, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting children's meal preferences: How much do parents know?

2008

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We investigate how accurate parents are at predicting their children's meal preferences and what cues best describe parents' predictions. In Study 1, 30 parents predicted their children's school lunch choices from actual school menus. Parents' prediction accuracy matched the stability of children's meal choices (assessed in a 4-month retest), implying that accuracy was as high as can be expected. Parents appeared to make their predictions by using specific knowledge about their child's likes and by projecting their own preferences. In Study 2, we asked 58 parents to predict their children's preferences for 30 randomly drawn school meals, and compared them to the children's actual preferences. Again, parents showed high prediction accuracy and predicted the lunches their children liked correctly more often than the disliked ones. Overall, parents' accuracy in predicting their children's food preferences was as good as or better than found in previous preference prediction studies that used less ecologically relevant task domains. r

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“…salt preferences in Na deficiency), the general phenomenon of such 'gustatory wisdom' lacks strong experimental support (Galef, 1991). Dietary fats are a source of three essential dietary components: (1) essential fatty acids, (2) fat-soluble vitamins, (3) energy for storage or oxidation.…”

Section: Does the Preference Reflect Physiological Need?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding fat preference and consumption: applications of behavioural sciences to a nutritional problem

Mela

1995

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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Because of the associations between fat intakes and the development of several major chronic diseases, governmental and health authorities in Western nations have voiced consistent recommendations for reductions in fat consumption over the past 35 years (Cannon, 1992). In these countries, fat consumption has been arguably the foremost public health nutrition issue over most of this period; yet, in contrast to the massive accumulation of human and animal studies related to the potential physiological and pathological effects of fat consumption, the nutrition literature contains a paucity of work on the possible bases for this behaviour.The populations of North America and western Europe, with economic and market access to a diet of virtually any possible composition, consume 3742% of their food energy as fat. It is unclear why in a free-choice situation they choose to consume fat at this level and, correspondingly, why compliance with recommendations to reduce fat intakes has been so poor. Such issues of food selection and eating behaviour fall within the domain of both nutrition and more traditional behavioural sciences, and they are best addressed by individuals and groups with expertise in both.The present paper briefly considers factors which may contribute to understanding the basis for fat consumption, with examples of how ideas and methods derived from the behavioural sciences can contribute to research and understanding of a major nutrition issue. In order to limit the discussion, the emphasis is on contributions from experimental and social psychology, and only limited reference will be made to the animal literature. W H Y D O WE EAT FAT? PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONSUnderstanding human fat consumption at the most fundamental level requires an analysis of the psychobiological forces which might serve to promote and then reinforce and maintain this behaviour. More specifically, how might a desire to ingest foods with fat-associated sensory characteristics develop? The possible bases for preferences for fats and fat-containing foods have been addressed in previous reviews (Mela, 1990(Mela, , 1992Birch, 1992;Reed et al. 1992) as have the more general and theoretical issues relating to the acquisition of sensory and food preferences by children and adults (e.g. Rozin & Fallon, 1981;Rozin, 1989;Rozin & Schulkin, 1990;Ray & Klesges, 1993;Mela & Catt, 1995). A genetic predisposition?While there is no evidence for a genetically endowed 'fat preference', experiments suggest that animals may express ostensibly unlearned preferences for fat-associated (Ackroff et al. 1990;Elizilde & Sclafani, 1990;Ackerman et al. 1992). However, there is good evidence that positive hedonic responses to flavours can result from prenatal exposure to volatile flavours (from the maternal diet) in utero (Schaal & Orgeur, 1992). In addition, some flavour or texture preferences may be acquired through experience with the characteristics of maternal milk (Mela & Catt, 1995). In both cases, these involve learning mechanisms analogous to ...

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A contrarian view of the wisdom of the body as it relates to dietary self-selection.

Cited by 76 publications

References 27 publications

Flavor preferences conditioned with starch in rats

Flavor preferences conditioned with starch in rats

Predicting children's meal preferences: How much do parents know?

Understanding fat preference and consumption: applications of behavioural sciences to a nutritional problem

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