from journal Physiology and Behavior
We’ve just finished the holiday season of good eating. It may have been a test of the adage that good tasting food is bad for us. But a study in the journal Physiology and Behavior suggests eating good tasting food does not itself lead to weight gain. Using laboratory animals, researchers discovered animals preferred dry foods that were mixed with either mineral oil or a synthetic sweetener—neither of which added any calories to the food. To further test the concept, laboratory animals were fed a high fat diet, known to make them obese. But animals fed high fat food with oil or an artificial sweetener gained no more weight than animals fed only the high fat diet. Thus, researchers say it is possible to have foods that are both healthy and good tasting.