Hello everyone!
Did you know that roasted crickets taste like popcorn?
I sure didn't until I went to Consumer Camp at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, the premiere lab in the country for the study of food psychology. And no, food psychology is not analysis of the inner thoughts of broccoli and its opinion of kale. :) Food psychology is defined as the study of the behavior of consumers in relation to food.
I got interested in food psychology through my high school's science research program. When I found out about the Food and Brand Lab's Consumer Camp, I was so excited, I had to go. And so, my family piled into the car and we headed up to Ithaca for a fun food-filled weekend.
 |
| Me posing in front of a food mural |
At the Consumer Camp, I got to participate in several experiments, including one that was studying consumers reactions in response to "extreme foods," with one end of the spectrum being fried Twinkies, and the other being crickets! I learned that distinguishing between strawberry yogurt and yogurt with chocolate sauce while blindfolded is harder than it seems, as was trying to pour a healthy-sized bowl of cereal and guess calorie amounts in cookies. I also got to listen to a lecture by the head of the lab himself, Dr. Brian Wansink. He talked about the simple changes that we can make to our environment to help us make healthier eating decisions without having to diet. I strongly recommend his new book Slim By Design. It has tons of helpful healthy eating tips and compelling insights about an eating environment's role in our eating behavior.
All in all it was a great weekend and I am looking forward to possibly studying with them in the future!
More,
Gourmanda
No comments:
Post a Comment