Study: Vegetables with Enticing Names are Tastier

If you were told that vegetable can be seductive by just changing their names would you believe it? In a study published June 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine, it was found that indulgent names enticed people made people eat more vegetables. A team of researchers at Stanford University in California, US, found that when students were introduced to seductively named vegetable dishes – such as “sizzlin’ beans”, “dynamite beets”, “slow-roasted caramelised zucchini bites” and “twisted citrus-glazed carrots” – sales spiked by 25 per cent.

In proving that consumers view healthy food as less tasty, the “indulgent” veggies were consumed by 35% more people than those that ate veggies with healthy-positive labeling (“smart-choice vitamin C citrus carrots”) and 41% more people than those that ate veggies with healthy-restrictive labeling (“carrots with sugar-free citrus dressing”).

Researchers believe that by adopting the marketing approach used to sell unhealthy food like burgers and pizzas, schools can subconsciously make vegetables sound more appealing to children and young people. So perhaps, you don’t hate vegetables, you just hate the branding.

“Our results suggest that emphasizing health in descriptions of healthy foods may not be an effective approach for motivating most diners to choose healthy options and that a better approach may be to emphasis the indulgent, tasty components of the food,” said lead study author Bradley Turnwald. “When most people are making a dining decision, they are motivated by taste.” “And studies show that people tend to think of healthier options as less tasty for some reason. “Labels really can influence our sensory experience, affecting how tasty and filling we think food will be. So we wanted to reframe how people view vegetables, using indulgent labels.”