Are you willing to sample chocolate-covered silkworm pupae? What about blood sausage or, for the vegetarians among us, some shoo-fly pie (one of my personal favorites)?
If any or all of those sound tasty, or at least worth trying, then you're probably a food neophile, aka an adventurous eater. And for you, I'm the bearer of good news: Adventurous eaters have lower body-mass indexes and are generally more conscious about healthy eating than their less adventurous diners, according to a study published recently in Obesity.
Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Vermont recruited about 500 women and had them complete a survey on their eating habits and willingness to try new things and foods. The answers shed insight into the connections between healthy habits and adventurousness:
...Adventurous eaters were less concerned that a food was easy to prepare and about its price, but more interested in cooking as a way to connect with their heritage and more likely to have friends over for dinner. Given that cooking at home is associated with lower BMI and increased consumption of healthy foods, if adventurous eaters are comfortable with foods that were harder to prepare, and often have friends over for dinner, it may be that they prepare their own food more often than non-adventurous eaters. Furthermore, eating with others versus eating alone has been associated with decreased intake in some studies. The lower concern about price of foods exhibited by more adventurous eaters is in line with characteristics of foodies, who are much more concerned with food quality than food price. Because healthy foods are often more expensive than junk foods and require preparation, adventurous eaters may be more likely to procure and prepare these types of foods than non-adventurous eaters.
The authors go on to write that the findings "have exciting practical implications" and suggest "several strategies [that] practitioners could use to help increase adventurousness." But they acknowledge the research has several limitations, including its lack of men and definition of "adventurousness."
Previously: Where is the love? A discussion of nutrition, health and repairing our relationship with food, "They might be healthier, but they'll still be junk foods": Expert comments on trans-fat ban and Examining how food texture impacts perceived calorie content
Photo by Smabs Sputzer
