How vegetables make the meal: their hedonic and heroic impact on perceptions of the meal and of the preparer

Abstract

Objective: Although most parents know that vegetables are healthful, vegetables are served at only 23 % of American dinners. If added nutrition is not a sufficient motivation, might a parent be more inspired to serve vegetables if doing so improved either the taste of the entrée or how loving and thoughtful the server would be perceived? The present paper details two studies which investigated whether serving vegetables changes the perception of the cook and the perception of an entrée's taste. Design: In Study 1, people evaluated the personality of a cook who either did or did not include a vegetable in a family dinner. In Study 2, five different meals that either included or did not include a vegetable were rated in terms of the taste of the entrée and of the whole meal. Setting: US-based online survey. Subjects: American mothers (n 500), ranging in age from 18 to 65 years (mean age 38?4 years), with at least two children under the age of 18 years living at home. Results: Serving vegetables improved taste expectations for the entrée as well as for the whole meal. Additionally, serving a vegetable with a meal also enhanced perceptions of the meal preparer. They were evaluated as being more thoughtful and attentive as well as less lazy, boring and self-absorbed. Conclusions: These two studies show new hedonic and heroic motivations for serving vegetables: (i) they increase the hedonic appeal of the meal and (ii) they increase the heroic appeal of the cook. More vegetables are likely to be served with a meal if preparers know that the addition of vegetables makes them appear to be both a better cook and a better person.

Perceptions of How Parents of Early Adolescents Will Personally Benefit From Calcium-Rich Food and Beverage Parenting Practices

“…The role of emotions in parenting practices was also explored by others who asked mothers with at least 2 children < 18 years of age at home to evaluate the personality of the food preparer when vegetables were served with an entr ee. 21 Those who served vegetables were thought to have positive personality characteristics with respect to caring for others, compared to those who didn't serve vegetables. Although these findings were based on different parenting practices among parents with children in other age groups, they generally support the concept that emotional rewards are important motivators.…”

The more that households prioritise healthy eating, the better they can afford to consume a sufficient quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables

“…This may be especially true for vegetables. While many types of fruit are consumed as a stand-alone food and fruit consumption is associated with snacking (22) , vegetables often serve as a side dish or as a needed ingredient and vegetable consumption is associated with preparing home-cooked meals (23) .…”

Avengers Assemble! Using pop-culture icons to communicate science

“…Kakalios wrote (and made use of a great food metaphor) that "I hope you will be so busy enjoying this superhero ice cream sundae that you won't realize that I am sneakily getting you to eat your spinach at the same time." Others have also used this concept to great effect when considering metaphors for stem cell research (2), making healthy food choices (18,19), body image in young men (20), and positive social helping behaviors (13).…”