New Research on Food Habits

Food habits are constantly being impacted by the perpetually increasing amount of information available to every person. Print and electronic media is full of advice regarding what should be eaten and why. Recommendations are often conflicting. Many foods are declared detrimental to health on one day and beneficial the next. The average consumer ends up being confused or even disillusioned by the scientific method. A major reason for the confusion is that any food item is a heterogeneous mixture of hundreds of compounds, and the effect of one isolated compound may be the opposite of another compound in the same food. Taking the case of chocolate, if studied for the effect of sugar, it is declared harmful, but when studied for its flavonoids, it is declared desirable because it contributes to reduction in oxidative stress. This book presents new research on the field of food habits and regarding the impact of some common foods on health.