Can Scientists Create Healthier Foods?

In the article "Can Scientists Create Healthier Foods?" researchers are trying to figure out a way to make lower calorie foods without detracting from flavor or texture. It talks about how humans were a hunter gatherer type people originally who craved the same sweet and salty kinds of foods that we crave today. The only difference is that hunter gatherers had to find their food and sometimes food was scarce. Today we have a less active lifestyle and the unhealthy foods are more abundant than ever.

Researchers at the Nestle Research Center are studying ways to increase sugars perceived sweetness. They say that "most people swallow up to 90 percent of a food’s sugar before ever tasting it". Researchers are working on a way to alter sugars structure so that it will dissolve more quickly in water or saliva. Their discoveries could allow the company to use up to 40% less sugar, without taking away any value from the taste or texture of the food. They want to maximize the expression of flavor in order to reduce the overall use of the food

I chose this article because health and food is something that is important to me. What a person eats is a major part of their day to day life. I often struggle with the internal battle of choosing healthy gross foods or delicious unhealthy foods. The article did a good job of laying out what the question was that they were researching, and they had clear evidence and explanations to explain their reasoning. Our society especially in America is in a health crisis. With so much sugar, fat, and salt in our diet we are at risk for a lot of health problems like heart disease. Creating foods that taste the same but have better proportions of sugars and salts, could really make a difference in our society.