Rachel Herz - Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food

My deepest appreciation goes to my superb, brilliant, and caring agent, Lauren MacLeod, for continuous guidance and support. I am also indebted to the hard work of the many people at Norton who helped make this book happen, especially my editor, Jill Bialosky, and I was very lucky to get Allegra Huston as my copy editor.

I owe much of the knowledge shared in this book to the many food and sensory experts whose work I researched over the last several years and who generously offered materials and insights, most especially Charles Spence. Many thanks also go to the following colleagues and scholars: Linda Bartoshuk, Gary Beauchamp, Emily Contois, Debra Fadool, Timothy McClintock, Rose McDermott, Adam Gopnik, Rachel Laudan, Charles Michel, Harriet Oster, Patricia Pliner, Janet Polivy, Malte Rubach, Edmund Rolls, Diana Rosenstein, Dana Small, Leslie Stein, Beverly Tepper, Michael Tordoff, Jordan Troisi, Hong Wang, and Jeremy Wolfe, each of whom offered resources and wisdomand most especially Gordon Shephard, for founding the field of neurogastronomy and his munificence of spirit and mind.

I am eternally grateful to Gabriel G-H, Sumaya Partner, and various friends and acquaintances who provided inspiration and iconic anecdotes. I also wish to thank the people who lost their sense of smell and let me work for them and learn from them. This book would not be what it is today were it not for my friends and family members who alerted me to pertinent facts and findings and who assisted with various facets of this book: Judith Herz, Jamie Poy, Nathaniel Herz, Kathleen McCann, John McCann, Eliza Van Reen, Kathryn Goetzke, Steve Meersmanalso, for the best carrot cake everand Ron Therbarge for discussions on mindfulness and how they can be applied to reduce cravings. Special appreciation goes to Mary Carskadon for involving me in her sleep, circadian biology, and food intake research and for her support and friendship through the years.

I also give heartfelt thanks to my smell and taste buddies Theresa White, John Prescott, and Martha Bajec, for laughter, motivation, and intellectual invigoration, and my other friends who gave me unwavering encouragement. Above all, my gratitude goes to those who fed my heart and mind at home while I worked on this book: Molly, whose beautiful soul and constant companionship gave me such joy, and Zoe, who brought new life and lovetheir boundless passion for eating was a continuous inspiration; my mother, Judith, for being an exceptional mentor, SRA, and friend with words; and most of all, my husband, Jamie, who listened and thought and ate with me.

ALSO BY RACHEL HERZ

Thats Disgusting

The Scent of Desire

Names and identifying details of some people portrayed in this
book have been changed, and some people are fictional composites.

Copyright 2018 by RSH Enterprises, LLC

All rights reserved
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ISBN: 978-0-393-24331-4

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FOR JAMIE

AND EVERYONE WHO LOVES TO EAT.

WHY
YOU EAT
WHAT
YOU EAT

Page numbers listed correspond to the print edition of this book. You can use your devices search function to locate particular terms in the text.

absolute pitch, 163

accessibility of food, 185

acids, 1819

addiction, 9

Addictive Behaviors, 116

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), 102

adolescents; See also teenagers

obesity for, 26869

picky eating by, 102

salt preferences of, 23

adrenalin, 249

adults; See also young adults

food advertising and eating behavior of, 271

food preferences of, 84

sweet taste for, 14, 15

advertising, food, 25782

and attentionquantity consumed relationship, 26165

children as target of, 26874

food porn in, 26568

for healthy food, 27274

and influence of purchasing behavior on social behavior, 27882

language used in, 25760

portion size in, 139

shape in, 157

socially ethical marketing in, 194

and virtue/vice balance in food purchasing, 27478

Aebong-ee, 267

aerobic exercise, 255

Affordable Care Act, 149

Africa, supertasters from, 27

age

acuity of sense of smell and, 8586

and comfort food selections, 24546

sensation-seeking behavior and, 60

testosterone levels and, 59

agreeableness, 17

air curtain in lungs, 66

airflow, 6667

airplanes, taste sensations on, 16769

alcohol; See also specific types

bitter taste of, 2829

and blood glucose levels, 253

as diuretic, 183

reducing cravings for, 116

sales of, 17071, 234

alcohol consumption

music and, 17273

reason for, 155

and satiation, 21721

and sensitivity to scent, 87

and visual appearance, 15355

alcoholism, 2829, 17273

alkaloids, 25

allulose, 9

Altoids Mango Sours, 19

Alzheimers disease, 33, 86

ambience, 17577

American Heart Association, 2425

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 226, 237

American Medical Association, 62

American Psychiatric Association, 101

Americas Test Kitchen (radio show), 290

amoebas, taste detection by, 26

amygdala, 86, 287

analgesia (pain relief), 15, 32, 81, 240

anandamide, 240

angular shapes, 15657

anorexia nervosa, 88, 1057, 226

anosmia (loss of sense of smell)

disability from, 6163

food boredom for people with, 227

improving eating experience for people with, 175, 179

and scents evoking memories, 28384

taste and, 6163, 6768

weight gain with, 68

anterior cingulate cortex, 43, 290

anterior insula, 78, 79

antioxidants, 28, 113, 239

anxiety, with neophobia, 102, 103

aperitif, 219

appetite

aroma as stimulator of, 6871

and ghrelin, 196

and non-caloric sweeteners, 218

and sensory specific satiety, 225

suppressors of, 11314, 249

and tumor necrosis factor, 34

Appetite (journal), 116, 122, 264

ARFID, See avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Arizona State University, 142

aroma(s); See also odors; scent(s)

and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, 92

of chocolate, 90, 12022, 23841

complexity of, 111

and cravings, 11924

and food avoidance, 11015

and food boredom, 22627

of grapefruit, 11213, 120

of ham, 76

in physical taste aversions, 108

of vanilla, 7576, 111, 122

aromatherapy, 82

artichokes, 10

artificial sweeteners, See non-caloric sweeteners

artistry, of plating, 12627

Asia, supertasters in, 27

Asian cuisine, 19, 40, 41

attachment, 11718, 24243

attention

and effectiveness of food advertising, 260

and memory, 28788

and quantity consumed, 26165

red color as signal for, 138

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 102