Humans choose healthy foods to meet their needs for vitamins and minerals, which poses a challenge to our preferences for starchy foods. It has long been believed that we seek high-energy foods and obtain vitamins and minerals by consuming a variety of dishes. However, a recent study suggests that humans may possess "nutritional wisdom," preferring foods that can benefit health.
The lead author of the study, Jeff Brunstrom, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol, stated, "Our findings are highly significant and somewhat surprising. For the first time in nearly a century, we have shown that humans are more sophisticated in their food choices and seem to select based on specific micronutrients rather than just eating anything and assuming they get what they need by default."
In experiments involving 128 adults, the team measured participants' preferences by showing them images of pairs of fruits and vegetables. This revealed that they preferred certain dietary combinations over others. For example, apples and bananas might be chosen slightly more than apples and blackberries.
Preferences appeared to be predicted by the amounts of micronutrients in the food pairs and whether the combination provides a balance among different micronutrients. The researchers also analyzed real meal combinations from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK and found that common combinations increase exposure to micronutrients.
For instance, fish and chips or curry and rice seem to offer a broader range of micronutrients compared to randomly produced meal combinations, such as chips and curry, according to the Daily Mail.
