The Current

Mark Schatzker: Flavourless food leads to unhealthy cravings

Ever wonder why you crave some food over others? Food journalist Mark Schatzker says it's all about the 'F' word - FLAVOUR. Today, we explore why the veggies we should eat have become increasingly bland, while the junk we should avoid keeps getting tastier.
The bold, bright, technicolor taste of a Dorito is being called out in a Mark Schatzker's book called "The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavour." (final gather, Flickr cc)

♦ ♦ ♦ 8 Quick Facts on Food & Flavour by Mark Schatzker ♦ ♦ ♦

 We all want to eat flavourful food, but a new book says that while our drive for flavour comes naturally... these days it often leads to unnatural cravings. 

​Take the Dorito for example. Sometimes just thinking of eating one can make your mouth water ...maybe you're even reaching for a bag of chips right now. But that bold, bright techicolour taste is being called out in a new book.

 A lot has been made about the way processed food manufacturers engineer the right combinations of salt, sugar, and fat in junk food... and our next guest argues that the highly designed nature of those foods has a great deal to do with why you can't just have one... AND why obesity is a defining health issue of our time.  

Mark Schatzker is the author of "The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavour." He spoke with Anna Maria Tremonti  in May of this year, from New York. 

What flavour can you not get enough of? Are you a victim of the Dorito Effect? Let us know!

Tweet us @TheCurrentCBC. Find us on Facebook. Or email us through our website.

This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins.
 

RELATED LINKS

♦ Our approach to food is killing its flavour - Mark Schatzker, The Globe & Mail
♦ Mark Schatzker's persuasive argument for better-tasting food - National Post
♦ Why chicken doesn't taste like chicken -  Mark Schatzker, New York Post
 How Flavor Drives Nutrition - Mark Schatzker, The Wall Street Journal


Americans Try Surströmming (The Smelliest Food In The World)

Mark Schatzker may lament over the death of flavour...but there's still some pretty potent foods out there.Have you ever tried Surströmming... fermented fish? Maybe you feel the same way Buzzfeed's taste-testers did when they were introduced to the Swedish delicacy. If you can stomach it, watch below to see their reaction to what many consider the smelliest food in the world.