Why do they have to taste so good?

I really love eating. My favorite dish is fried chicken. I love chocolates and I cannot end a meal without having dessert. I remember that before, a half-gallon of ice cream in our house would not last a week because I would have it every after meal and also for my merienda. This love for food might have been the main cause for my weight gain when I was a child, making me a fat kid. I was usually the butt of jokes in my family due to my weight. They would always call my attention whenever a television commercial of hog feeds are showing so that I could watch “my mother’s” advertisement. My cousins who are super thin also call me “Ate Baboy” back then. Although I know that they meant everything as a joke, I still cannot help but feel offended. I became more conscious about my weight. Even now, when some of my friends call me biik, I still feel sensitive about their jokes but I try my best to just brush it all off.

This made me think about how my food preferences might have contributed to my weight. It is a good thing that in 2009, Matsushita and his colleagues had the idea to check what role food preferences play, particularly their taste, on the weight of individuals. They asked about the taste preferences and weight of around 30,000 Japanese men and women. After ten years, they asked them again how much they weigh and checked whether there is a relationship between the two variables. Aside from weight and taste preferences, they also took into consideration other factors such as age, gender, medical history and health-related lifestyle activities.

The results of their study showed that there is a correlation between the preference for rich and heavy tasting food, such as fatty and well-seasoned dishes, with an increase in weight. This resulted to an increase in the BMI of the participants who preferred eating rich and heavy food. It was also observed that preference for fatty and well-seasoned food lead to weight increase in individuals aged around 20 years old. This may be due to the decrease of fat intake in older participants which also lessened their weight gain brought about by consumption of heavy and rich food. Their study also yielded results that show how preference of sweet tastes in women who are around 20 years of age may lead to weight gain. These findings were not observed in their male participants of the same age. Men in the study do not often eat snacks in between main meals which may contribute to their lesser preferences for sweet tastes and thus, a lower increase in weight due to sweet foods. However, the preference of sweet tastes in men increases by their late 30s which may make them gain weight.

After reading the study, I know now what I did that made me a fat kid. I was both into fatty and sweet foods. From now on, I will be more conscious of the food that I eat. Instead of eating fried chicken, I may slowly shift my preferences to grilled chicken which is less fatty. Also, I will also try to make fruits as substitutes for my cravings for sweet food after every meal. That way, I can avoid chocolates and ice cream with not much difficulty. Aside from controlling my diet, I will also see to it that I find time to exercise and engage in other activities that will help me burn calories. That way, it will not be so hard to maintain my current weight.

Matsushita, Y., Mizoue, T., Takahashi, Y., Isogawa, A., Kato, M., Inoue, M., Noda, M. & Tsugane, S. (2009). Taste preferences and body weight change in Japanese adults: the JPHC Study. International Journal of Obesity, 33, 1191-1197.