1 HOUR

Nutrition Connection CE
CBDM Approved

Menu
Planning
Thinking Beyond
Color, Flavor &
Texture
by | Debbie Zwiefelhofer, RD, LD

February 2013 17
 Continued from previous page

How many times have you heard someone say I dont like
that soup... or meat, vegetable, sandwich... you fill in the
blank. Whether at work or home, most of you reading this are
directly or indirectly responsible for feeding others.

With all the basic considerations that come into play, deciding W h y D o W e E at ?
on menus is no easy task, whether you are planning for a family This is a somewhat rhetorical question because, of course,
or hundreds eating in your facility. humans need to eat to survive. If a person listens to their body
Granted, there is more latitude with family meals, but the chal- they can learn to differentiate thirst from hunger and hunger
lenges in achieving satisfaction are still there. We are taught from eating just because. However, very few people eat simply
that color, flavor, and texture play an important role in setting to avoid starvation. In addition to satisfying the need to fuel
a menu. So why is it that after incorporating those key elements the body, eating is social and food is pleasurable. Most people
along with food variety the mealtime complaints are still heard? require somewhere between 1,600 and 2,400 calories daily to
It might be because many factors, even ones not yet identified, adequately support their bodys metabolic needs. People would
work in concert to contribute to food satisfaction. probably not consume even their base requisite calories if foods
tasted really bad. But, be aware that many influences impact an
Table 1 individuals food selections, and those influencers can morph
and change over time. This brings us to the topic of thinking
more broadly beyond color, flavor, and texture.
Considerations for Planning
Menus Consider this, recent animal research suggests a strong connec-
tion between what a person will select to eat most often and
Food budget
what their mom obsessively consumed while pregnant.1 The key
Equipment available word being obsessivepregnancy cravings that are occasion-
Storage (and limitations) ally satisfied are not going to create some version of a foodahol-
Delivery frequency/times ic. However, if you have a strong penchant for a particular type
Seasonal foods of flavor, food or food category, ask your mother if that was
something she happened to eat obsessively when pregnant with
Skill of cook (scratch prep vs. convenience)
you. Pre-birth hypotheses aside, it is not surprising that initial
Number of staff to cook, prepare, serve
food preferences are learned from family. Children rely on
Number of meals to be prepared others for meals and so they learn to eat what has been offered.
Type of meal service (buffet, cook to order, etc.) It stands to reason that if someone has never been exposed to
Selective or non-selective menu certain foods they may not eat them later in life.
Meal times (holding time requirements) Those familial preferences are tied to a number of consider-
Client recipe/food preferences ations like geographic location, culture, religion, and so on.
Special dietary considerations Geographic location leads to what foods are available and the
Nutrition (balanced and adequate) ability to acquire them. The phrase food desert is used to
Visual aesthetics (avoiding the all white meal)
describe the lack of access to particular foodsusually healthier
fare such as fresh fruits and vegetables. A persons culture and
Temperatureskeeping hot food hot and cold, cold
religion can further sway food choice. Different cultures favor
Texture aesthetics
different varieties of foods, spices, and flavors. A religion can
Meeting federal and local regulations suggest avoiding or even prohibit select foods or food groups.
Chosen lifestyles or socio-economic means can further influ-
18 Nutrition & Foodservice Edge
 Answers to Review Questions
CDMs who answer the Review Questions on page 21 of this
issue can check their responses against the answer key found
on page 39. This self check allows you to confirm your un-
derstanding of the test questions.

ence things like frequency of home-cooking vs. eating out. Then workday sack lunch. You probably arrived at a mental pic-
there are a host of psychological issues that surround eating (or ture of noisy, festive, and fun versus ho-hum. This brings us
not eating)another whole topic onto itself. All these factors to point number three.
play a role in food preference and the evolution of food selection 3. Foods should evoke pleasant memories. These pleasant
as a person ages, changes environments, experiences changes in memories bring positive conditioned responses to something
health, and is introduced to new cultures and foods. The real- about the food or type of food. Growing up (happy) with
ity is that food choice is complex and, scientifically speaking, spicy sauces drives a continued happiness from foods served
we really dont know all there is to know about human food in those spicy sauces. If you think about a favorite food or
preference. The adage that you can please some of the people meal you can probably connect them to the pleasurable
all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you trigger. This might explain why holiday and other special
cannot please all of the people all of the time is very fitting in event meals tend to rate betterthey hit on foods that have
the world of foodservice. good memories attached. On the opposite spectrum, who
doesnt avoid the food that made them ill? Whether it was
T he T heor y of F av orite F oods
an episode of food poisoning or over indulgence, it can take
Volumes of literature exist that attempt to explain food palat- many months or years (if ever) to eat or drink that particular
ability and eating behaviors. Steven Witherly, PhD has done food again no matter how good for you the food might be.
years of research into the topic of why people eat what they Unpleasant memories associated with a food will drive us
do. In his latest book Why Humans Like Junk Food, Dr. away from that food. Consider this, if you cook for seniors
Witherly explores 16 different food perception theories and that grew up during the Depression era, particular menu
distills the theories down into his favored top six principles items (e.g. baked beans) may bring back unpleasant memories
of food pleasure.2 Those six points are worth expanding upon of tough times and having eaten the item far too often. This
here to give some added perspective to planning recipes, food is why it is so important to find out food likes and dislikes,
selections, and menusespecially if you are seeking to improve
meal satisfaction scores. Continued on page 20
1. First and foremost, taste is king! Foods need to deliver
on preferred ratios for salt, sugar, and umami (savory) taste Table 2
preferences. Innate taste perceptors are what protect us from
eating things we should not (poisons) and craving the nutri- Checklist for Constructing Menus
ents our body needs (salt, sugar, protein, et al). As important
as taste is, all the other sensesincluding temperatures and Standard Considerations:
texturesplay an even greater role in taste perceptions. Color
While its taste that gets the food into the mouth, its a whole Flavor
host of other sensations and feedback mechanisms that Texture
impact the gut and the brain to arrive at food pleasure and Temperature
satisfaction. Many human taste feedback mechanisms remain
a mystery. Case in point, a research lab was just awarded a $1 Food-Pleasure Considerations:
million grant to study salt taste detection and perception. Salty and sugar (sweet)
2. Dynamic contrast is importantfoods should not be one- Spicy and bland
dimensional. Water would be an example of one-dimension; Strong flavors and light flavors
no color, no flavor, and no texture. And, no wonder why so Crunchy and smooth
many people dont like to drink plain water. Humans are
Liquid, soft and firm
visual and people really do eat with their eyes. This is why
the aspects of color, texture, and pleasing plate presentation Pretty and plain
are so important. Color variety and texture ranges like crispy, Variety in caloric density
crunchy, and chewy make food exciting! Take a moment to Aroma
reflect on a past holiday or party meal as compared to a usual
February 2013 19
 Continued from previous page

References
1. Bayol, SA et al. BJN 2007; 98:842-851.
2. Witherly, Steven A. Why Humans Like Junk Food, Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2007.

especially in the presence of poor food intake. Consider going Keep in mind that humans are the only species that require over
one step further and find out the why behind food likes 50 different macro and micronutrients to be consumed regularly
and dislikes. to thrive. Given all the complexity surrounding food acceptance
4. There is a food-pleasure equation. Explained simply, eat- and satisfying the bodys nutrient needs, its a wonder we get any
ing pleasure is a function of all the aesthetic sensations plus meals right! The theories of favorite foods teach us that menus
(macro) nutrient stimulation. These two dimensions must be need to be looked at from an even broader perspective than
in a balance to please. The body has feedback mechanisms simply making sure that any given meal is not all cold, soft and
that regulate the macronutrients, but calories are also key in white. The theories also emphasize that it truly is an art along
this equation. Brain scans show reduced pleasure in subjects with science that goes into getting any one individual success-
looking at a plate of vegetables versus a higher calorie alterna- fully nourished.
tive. In explaining the food-pleasure equation, Dr. Witherly
C onstr u ctin g B etter M en u s
states the brain has the ability to quantify the pleasure
contained in an eating experience as performed by certain We have become a transient world, so part of the challenge
dopamine neurons in the brain and sensing of calories in the in food operations today is pleasing the variety of palates that
gut. Therefore, food satisfaction is some internal measure of are now eating under one roof. By the time cultures, ethnicity,
what is seen, what is sensed, and what is eaten. This equa- religion, special diets, and food/eating preferences are taken
tion can explain why people trying to lose weight are often into consideration it would be just about impossible to please
instructed to incorporate carbohydrate, protein, and fat with everyone with singular menu choices. This makes a good case
each eating occasion. Noshing on an apple might be low calo- for offering the selective menu. Providing options at every meal
rie and filling on one hand, but not entirely satisfying on the occasion allows for not only offering significant food variety,
other. Dipping that apple in some peanut butter could move but also accommodating different cuisines. Instead of having
that eating occasion to a more pleasurable level and therefore singular themed meals like Italian Day, consider having a
satisfying. This is a good segue into point number five. Tomato Day and offer tomato dishes from different cuisines.
Some alternative thoughts for constructing menu cycles using
5. Caloric density is more satisfying. The aforementioned gut-
the food-pleasure theories are proposed in Table 2. With choices
brain connection apparently likes the caloric density of 4-5
come better odds of mealtime enjoyment and ultimately food-
(water is a 0 and pure fat is a 9). Plain vegetables score around
service satisfaction.
a 1, meats are 2-3, and fast foods are 4-5. Most so-called junk
foods have a caloric density in that 4-5 range. High energy According to Brillat-Savarin, the early 1800s author of The Phys-
density is associated with high pleasure. These foods are tasty iology of Taste, Gastronomy is the knowledge and understand-
(i.e. potato chips), but they are not filling whereas low energy ing of all that relates to man as he eats. Its purpose is to ensure
dense foods are filling (i.e. raw carrots), but less tasty. Water the conservation of men, using the best food possible. The word
scores a 0 for caloric density, so while it may be filling it is gastronomy is of Greek origin and can be defined as the art
generally not satisfying. Exceptions exist, but the point here or law of regulating the stomach. Merriam-Webster defines it
is that there seems to be an innate trigger for why we crave simply as the art of food eating. The word itself is intended to
calorically-dense foods. cover every aspect tied to food, from nutrients to food selection
6. Taste buds like emulsions. What is an emulsion? It is a to preparation and presentation and the meal experience. That
mixture of two or more liquids that are normally un-blend- sounds a lot like the definition of dietetics or nutrition. Instead
able. Examples of an emulsion would include vinaigrettes, of dietitians, technicians, or dietary managers, perhaps we could
mayonnaise, ice cream, and chocolate to name a few. Taste have the title gastronomist! j
buds tend to prefer the salt-fat and sugar-fat emulsions best.
Debbie Zwiefelhofer, RD, LD is the President of Nutrition Af-
Exactly the foundation of many foods that we might consider fairs LLC, Minneapolis, Minn. Visit [Link]
junk or at a minimum describe as having non-nutritive or contact her at dznutrition@[Link]
value. However, there is a menu application within this point.
If an individual has a poor meal intake, adding an emul-
sion experience such as cheese sauce to vegetables or gravy to
meats may help improve consumption.
20 Nutrition & Foodservice Edge