"Indulgent" vegetables and healthier fat: two studies to inspire you

To eat more vegetables, it is better to talk about taste than about dieting.

Vegetables that make you want them

At Stanford University, researchers spent several weeks testing different ways of presenting the same vegetables in a university canteen. Sometimes the name was simple ("green beans"), sometimes it highlighted health ("light, fat-free green beans"), sometimes it was indulgent ("sweet sizzlin' green beans and crispy shallots"). The recipe itself did not change.

The result: with an indulgent name, about 25% more people chose the vegetable than with the simple name, and 41% more than with health-focused names. In other words, promising slimness does not make people eat more vegetables. Promising pleasure does!

At home: use spices, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, oven roasting… and talk about it as a delicious dish, not a dietary chore.

Exercise makes fat "healthier"

As for physical activity, the work of Professor Jeffrey Horowitz's team at the University of Michigan looks at how exercise changes fat tissue itself. In adults who are overweight or obese, regular training seems to make the fat under the skin better able to store energy safely, with more small blood vessels and fewer signs of inflammation. And this happens even without weight loss on the scales.

These studies involve small groups, and research is ongoing. But they confirm an important message: the benefits of exercise are not measured only in kilos. Even when the scales do not move, your body is changing.

In short

Vegetables made appetising and regular physical activity: two simple habits, and two good reasons not to lose heart.

Sources

• Turnwald B. P., Boles D. Z., Crum A. J., "Association between indulgent descriptions and vegetable consumption: twisted carrots and dynamite beets", JAMA Internal Medicine, 2017. See on PubMed
• University of Michigan, "Exercise can modify fat tissue in ways that improve health, even without weight loss", news.umich.edu.