Scientists have figured out how to make junk food much healthier
New research shows that a simple trick in cooking can significantly reduce fat, salt and added sugar while preserving the flavor of "junk food."University of Pennsylvania researchers investigated whether there was a way to reduce saturated fat, sodium and sugar in 10 popular dishes while preserving their flavor for consumers.
Researchers created three different versions of meatloaf, chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, brownies, chicken in cream sauce, chili, apple pie, pasta with meat sauce, tacos and pizza.
The first dish was made according to the original recipe with all the delicious fats, salt and sugar that goes into a traditional dish (it was labeled OG). The second was a healthier version of the dish, in which the scientists tried to eliminate as many of the unhealthy ingredients as possible while retaining as much of the overall flavor of the original dish as possible. This recipe was called the nutritionally enhanced dish (labeled NI).
Finally, the scientists created a third version of each dish: this was a second recipe enhanced by the addition of herbs and spices such as pepper, cayenne pepper, rosemary, and others. These dishes were dubbed "flavor and nutritional value enhanced" (FENI). The recipes were given to a research team of 85-107 consumers.
For example, the recipe for chicken with cream sauce in the original recipe used 107 g of salted butter (½ cup), 22 g of salt (1.2 tablespoons), and 931 g of whole milk (about 4 cups). The NI recipe used 71 g vegetable oil (⅓ cup), 488 g skim milk (about 2 cups), 488 g skim milk (about 2 cups), and 9 g salt (1.5 teaspoons). The FENI version used ingredients from the NI recipe and added onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seeds, black pepper, parsley and dill greens.
Study participants said they liked FENI's version of the chicken dish better than the original. The brownies with less sugar and salt had the same results. Five other FENI dishes received scores roughly equal to the OG recipes - apple pie, pasta with meat sauce, taco meat, chili and meatloaf. The healthier dishes were equally appealing even with less fat, salt and sugar. Their flavor was made up for with herbs and spices.
Participants estimated that only the FENI versions of pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken pot pie fell short of the OG recipes.
The research article has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.