Why Does Fat Taste Good?

Several of my friends and I were sitting around talking before lunch at work yesterday.  It was windy and cold outside, and I wasn’t motivated to go run.  We were trying to decide where to eat.  I suggested eating healthy.  Maybe Subway?  Then, one of the guys pipes up with “…fat tastes good, man.  Accept it!”  Wow.

Why Does Fat Taste Good?

With that single statement, he won the argument.  We went to a Chinese buffet for lunch, and do you know what?  It was good.  Really good.  Although he obviously wasn’t the first person person to make this observation, it got me thinking.  I started wondering why I crave fat.  If you think about it, fat is rather disgusting.  Have you ever looked at a pound of fat?  It’s pretty gross.  But used properly in the kitchen, it sure tastes good.

So, why does fat taste so good?  The evolutionary argument is that, back in our murky past, early humans had to consume as many calories as possible when they were available since food was scarce.  Fat is calorie-dense, so humans evolved to like the taste of fats and oils.  They would seek them out and consume them to survive.  Another argument is less evolutionary and more biological.  In 2006, researchers at the University of Burgundy in France discovered a “new” taste bud.  One that responds to fat.  Although this could be considered evolutionary, it provides a biological explanation for why I enjoy the taste of fat.

So, now I know why I love ice cream.  You see, it has been observed over the course of the last few months that I really like ice cream.  Back when I started this whole fitness endeavor, I told myself that I shouldn’t totally cut off “treats” because that would doom me to failure.  So, I’ve always allowed myself to have a small serving every night.  So each night, I pull out my little brown cup and fill it about half full.  Once.  Usually…

I’ve written about my DQ Blizzard fettish before.  Recently, I’ve caught myself having more ice cream at night than I should, and I need to cut it back to a more reasonable level.  I’ve tried the fat free ice cream.  No dice.  Fat free ice cream sucks.  Ditto for low fat ice cream.  And the thing is, it has nearly as many calories as the real stuff.  So, what’s the point?  Not to mention the fact that some fat is necessary for proper nutrition.

If you can’t tell, I don’t get too caught up the whole “low fat,” or “fat free” thing.  I believe that a part of eating healthy is knowing how to splurge, just a little.  The reality is, in order to replace the taste of fat, food chemists usually resort to salt or sugar, neither of which qualifies as healthy in large quantities.  To make matters worse, I usually end up still craving the fat, so once I eat something that’s both low fat and unsatisfying, I turn around and eat what I really wanted to begin with.  So, I’ve accepted the reality that fat does indeed, taste good.  And, when I crave my high fat food, I’ll have just a little bit, and stop.

Now, where’s the ice cream scoop?

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