In a groundbreaking effort to make American comfort foods healthier without sacrificing taste, a team of researchers at Penn State has discovered that substituting a dose of healthy herbs and spices can effectively replace excess saturated fat, sugar, and salt in popular dishes.
The study, recently published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, used a nationally representative database to select high-risk foods and re-engineer their nutritional profiles.
The Health Cost of Palatability
After the low-fat food trend of the 1990s led to products laden with sugar, the challenge has been to reduce unhealthy ingredients while maintaining palatability.
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, and limiting saturated fat and sodium intake are key recommendations for reducing the risk,” said Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State.
A Culinary Solution to a Health Crisis
Collaborating with culinary experts, the researchers created three versions of 10 popular foods like meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and brownies.
The first version contained typical amounts of saturated fat, sugar, and salt; the second cut these ingredients drastically, and the third added herbs and spices like cayenne, rosemary, and cinnamon to compensate for the flavor loss.
Consumer-Approved Changes
In a blind taste test involving up to 107 consumers for each dish, participants showed a preference for the healthier, spice-enhanced versions of brownies and chicken in cream sauce over the originals.
For five other dishes, including meatloaf and chili, the healthier recipes were rated about the same as the original recipes in terms of overall liking.
Significant Health Impact With Broad Adoption
According to the study’s models, if 100% of U.S. adult consumers adopted these healthier recipes, the estimated daily reduction in saturated fat and salt would be about 11.5%.
“This suggests that more research should be done to look at how to educate people to make these kinds of changes.
Importantly, these findings could be applied to the food supply because most foods that people consume are purchased in a prepared form,” said Petersen.
A Path Forward for Public Health
With cardiovascular diseases being a major public health concern, the study paves the way for actionable solutions.
By demonstrating that herbs and spices can effectively replace unhealthy elements in food without sacrificing taste, the Penn State team has provided a recipe for meaningful change.
The study encourages further research on how to implement these changes on a larger scale, with the aim of profoundly impacting public health.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes, and obesity, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about diet to fight diabetic eye damage, and results showing these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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