Re: It's the feel that makes it taste crummy,

[Guest guest]

It is about time they realized that. They should have asked professional tasters long ago, since texture is one of the things they pay attention to. There are a lot of foods I won't eat because I can't stand the texture. Those are things like stews, casseroles and most things that are all mixed up. Also, if a texture isn't what I am used to, I can't eat the food. For example, in Alabama, they don't carry my usual brand of deli meat. I tried another but the texture was like wet rubber, so I couldn't eat it.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

Actually, I didn't have that problem. Around the age of 3 or 4 my dad forced me to eat a chunk of tomato. I swallowed it then I spewed a load of hydrochloric acid and oatmeal onto their floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL. ravenmagic2003 <ravenmagic2003@...> wrote: For years, non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person insisting that the Aspie try and like the new finding

offered] find the food or drink delicious. RavenCo-Administrator http://news./s/livescience/20070430/sc_livescience/secrettobadtastingdietsodasfound;_ylt=AuYWGNVpKnspOt118koSk8ADW7oF Secret to Bad-Tasting Diet Sodas Found LiveScience StaffMon Apr 30, 7:50 AM ET It's the feel of diet soda in the mouth that makes it taste crummy, not the flavor of the artificial sweetener, studies suggest. Consumers claim they dislike the taste of aspartame and Splenda, but research by two University of Illinois food scientists shows that swillers of diet and regular soda are also influenced by a subtle factor called mouth-feel. Mouth-feel refers to a food or beverage's body, fullness and thickness, the scientists say, and the presence of

high-fructose corn syrup in regular soda and its absence in diet might be a distinguishing factor for discerning drinkers. Drink up! Soo-Yeun Lee and Schmidt trained 12 people for four weeks to use a 15-point scale to rate the characteristics that contribute to the mouth-feel of diet and regular soda. The panelists became so skilled that they were able to accurately identify significant differences in the mouth-feel of 14 samples that sensitive lab instruments identified as very small. "We worked with solutions of sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, asking panelists to detect when beverages began to differ from water in mouth-feel," said sensory scientist Soo-Yeun Lee. "And they were able to accurate identify varying degrees of viscosity on our 15-point scale." "The human mouth cavity appears to be a super-rheometer (the lab

instrument that measures viscosity or thickness)," said Lee's colleague Schmidt. Lee, Schmidt and S.M. Kappes, Lee's graduate student at the time, co-authored four studies about the sensory characteristics of diet beverages which were recently published in the Journal of Food Science. Halo and horns effects Enjoying food is complex, involving not only taste and mouth-feel, but also aroma, vision and hearing. "If you bite into an apple and it doesn't crunch, it affects your perception of the way the apple tastes," Lee said. "And if a beverage doesn't feel right in your mouth, that affects your perception of the way the beverage tastes too." If a food attribute enhances the flavor "sense" that humans have of something eaten, sensory scientists call that a "halo effect." If the attribute diminishes

the flavor sense, scientists say it has a horns effect. When color was added to lemon-lime beverages, panelists believed that the beverage had more body, meaning the color conferred a halo effect. But the color also led tasters to think the beverage had less carbonation, which it did not, meaning the color also conferred a horns effect, Lee said. "We think the lemon-lime flavor, which is exciting to the mouth, helps mask the mouth-feel difference, and that's why diet lemon-lime drinks were perceived as tasting more like their non-diet counterpoint than cola-flavored drinks," Lee said. "It's probably also the reason the new lime diet colas are so popular," Lee said. "The sour taste of the lime works with the carbonation to keep the mouth busy so the consumer doesn't notice the lack of body as much." Seeking a new ingredient Eventually, the

scientists would like to find an ingredient that gives body to diet soft drinks without adding calories or other unpleasant side effects. "We need to find an ingredient that has no calories but gives the same mouth-feel as sucrose," Lee said. This ingredient would make diet drinks more appealing. "If we could make diet soda taste better, it would be a big step in fighting the obesity epidemic," Schmidt said. "Many people know they should cut calories, but they won't drink diet pop because they don't like the taste." Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for people on the go. Check out our collection of Science, Animal and Dinosaur Pictures, Science Videos, Hot Topics, Trivia, Top 10s, Voting, Amazing Images, Reader Favorites, and more. Get cool

gadgets at the new LiveScience Store, sign up for our free daily email newsletter and check out our RSS feeds today!

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/1/2007 8:42:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, drumthis2001@... writes:

Actually, I didn't have that problem. Around the age of 3 or 4 my dad forced me to eat a chunk of tomato. I swallowed it then I spewed a load of hydrochloric acid and oatmeal onto their floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.

Excellent solution. I was too stubborn and would end up sitting there for hours looking at nasty food that never got looking any better. What I never understood was that I would eat things, just not a wide variety, so why wasn't that sufficient? It was a lot easier to cook for me, I thought, since you knew what I liked, so keep it on hand. On the other hand, the others would fuss and argue about what they were going to eat and cooked different things, that is when they didn't brow beat the odd man out until they agreed to go with the herd.

My mother still says that I am hard to cook for. No, I'm not. I'll eat the same things day after day, but she's the one that has to have variety.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/1/2007 8:42:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, drumthis2001@... writes:

Actually, I didn't have that problem. Around the age of 3 or 4 my dad forced me to eat a chunk of tomato. I swallowed it then I spewed a load of hydrochloric acid and oatmeal onto their floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.

Excellent solution. I was too stubborn and would end up sitting there for hours looking at nasty food that never got looking any better. What I never understood was that I would eat things, just not a wide variety, so why wasn't that sufficient? It was a lot easier to cook for me, I thought, since you knew what I liked, so keep it on hand. On the other hand, the others would fuss and argue about what they were going to eat and cooked different things, that is when they didn't brow beat the odd man out until they agreed to go with the herd.

My mother still says that I am hard to cook for. No, I'm not. I'll eat the same things day after day, but she's the one that has to have variety.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

For years,

non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with

taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and

liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person insisting

that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food or

drink delicious.

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

I too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the

list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled

baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable

things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time

my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food

person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes,

pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed

salad. etc

[Guest guest]

For years,

non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with

taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and

liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person insisting

that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food or

drink delicious.

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

I too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the

list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled

baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable

things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time

my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food

person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes,

pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed

salad. etc

[Guest guest]

The idea of trying to force kids to eat foods that they hate has a special importance for me personally- ... Now that it's mentioned- I recall I often have described foods in terms of their textures, perhaps more than other aspects put together. Regarding the throwing up- sadly I've been unable to throw up much in my life. My mom, who has some rather severe behavioral blindnesses, would sit at the table after the other sibs had finished and spoon-feed my foods I hated, like green peas. (She's completely amazingly oblivious to people's moods, thoughts, etcetera. Zero tact and at a surface level extremely insensitive to others in many ways... Well at least I know which side of the family I got my autism from!) Turned out when I was extensively tested for food allergies at age 19 green peas were one of the more allergic foods for me. but I was allergic to about

half the foods they tested me for- a long list. I had gone through much of my childhood and teens in a constant state of low-grade allergic inflammation. Living 365 days a year in a condition of sniffling, sneezing, and general sickliness was possibly the main reason for my severe depression, which has followed me through much of my adult life. (Most of the sickliness cleared up in my early twenties, once I made the decisions about what to eat and had awhile to find foods on my own.) Not surprisingly I also have at least a touch of hypochondria as I hate being sick so very-very-very-very much. My mom was also always pushing orange juice on me almost every morning because I was so sickly- citrus allergies are one of the more common types and I was also quite allergic there as well. Many times when I eat foods, such I a blue-colored drink from a vending machine recently, my thinking gets very confused- no doubt some neural inflammation going on. (One of the

hotter areas in autism research right now seems to be neuro-inflammatory processes.) I was often accused and even taunted a few times by my immediate family members of being intentionally difficult. That's thirty years in the past now so their behavior doesn't bother me nearly as much now- but I still feel very strongly about parents needing to pay more attention to their children's responses to foods. Curiously, much of my life I've been quite an explorer when it comes to new foods. Maybe there's an unconscious attempt to find new foods I don't react to, since I react to so many. Someone mentioned pickled ginger- When I haven't had any for awhile sometimes I'll buy a small tub of it (6 ounces?) and eat it all in one sitting by itself! Roughly speaking, my favorite type of cuisine is Japanese, esepcially back when it was inexpensive and I could afford it. Heph miminm <mnmimi@...> wrote: For years, non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person insisting that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food or drink delicious.> Raven> Co-AdministratorI too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes, pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed salad. etc Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

[Guest guest]

The idea of trying to force kids to eat foods that they hate has a special importance for me personally- ... Now that it's mentioned- I recall I often have described foods in terms of their textures, perhaps more than other aspects put together. Regarding the throwing up- sadly I've been unable to throw up much in my life. My mom, who has some rather severe behavioral blindnesses, would sit at the table after the other sibs had finished and spoon-feed my foods I hated, like green peas. (She's completely amazingly oblivious to people's moods, thoughts, etcetera. Zero tact and at a surface level extremely insensitive to others in many ways... Well at least I know which side of the family I got my autism from!) Turned out when I was extensively tested for food allergies at age 19 green peas were one of the more allergic foods for me. but I was allergic to about

half the foods they tested me for- a long list. I had gone through much of my childhood and teens in a constant state of low-grade allergic inflammation. Living 365 days a year in a condition of sniffling, sneezing, and general sickliness was possibly the main reason for my severe depression, which has followed me through much of my adult life. (Most of the sickliness cleared up in my early twenties, once I made the decisions about what to eat and had awhile to find foods on my own.) Not surprisingly I also have at least a touch of hypochondria as I hate being sick so very-very-very-very much. My mom was also always pushing orange juice on me almost every morning because I was so sickly- citrus allergies are one of the more common types and I was also quite allergic there as well. Many times when I eat foods, such I a blue-colored drink from a vending machine recently, my thinking gets very confused- no doubt some neural inflammation going on. (One of the

hotter areas in autism research right now seems to be neuro-inflammatory processes.) I was often accused and even taunted a few times by my immediate family members of being intentionally difficult. That's thirty years in the past now so their behavior doesn't bother me nearly as much now- but I still feel very strongly about parents needing to pay more attention to their children's responses to foods. Curiously, much of my life I've been quite an explorer when it comes to new foods. Maybe there's an unconscious attempt to find new foods I don't react to, since I react to so many. Someone mentioned pickled ginger- When I haven't had any for awhile sometimes I'll buy a small tub of it (6 ounces?) and eat it all in one sitting by itself! Roughly speaking, my favorite type of cuisine is Japanese, esepcially back when it was inexpensive and I could afford it. Heph miminm <mnmimi@...> wrote: For years, non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person insisting that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food or drink delicious.> Raven> Co-AdministratorI too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes, pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed salad. etc Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

[Guest guest]

" My mom, who has some rather severe behavioral blindnesses, would sit

at the table after the other sibs had finished and spoon-feed my

foods I hated, like green peas. "

I cannot stand the taste of pizza. One day my mother told me I would

eat nothing else until I ate the slice of pizza that was given to me.

I would not.

She gave it to me for breakfast the next morning. I would not eat it.

She gave it to me for lunch. I would not eat it.

She gave it to me for dinner while everyone else had breaded pork

chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and milk (one of my

favorite meals). I would not eat it.

She gave it to me for breakfast the next day. I would not eat it.

She gave it to me for lunch. I would not eat it.

By this time, I had gone maybe 42 hours without food. So she took the

slice and tried to cram it in my mouth. I spit it out, threw up, and

she threw it out.

I have tasted pizza of many kinds since then, and I cannot stand the

taste or the smell of it. I just cannot stand it.

Likewise, I hate anything Italian, except my mom's spaghetti. And

here is another interesting story. No one can make it like my mother

does. A friend's mom tried and failed. My grandmother, who actually

gave my mother the recipe tried and failed. My ex-wife tried and

failed.

All these people followed the recipe to the letter, using the exact

measurements and using the same ingredients, and the same brands of

pasta, and paste etc.

So when my mom dies, so will the recipe for her famous spaghetti.

Although lately, her cooking has been a little bit off. It seems with

age, she is unable to follow even her own recipe. Lately it is

getting to be that I cannot stand her spaghetti sometimes.

Tom

Administrator

[Guest guest]

There were many foods I would not eat as a child that I will eat now. Pizza and hamburgers were things I didn't eat until I was in my early teens and sandwiches I wouldn't eat until in my late 20's and even then just peanut butter, maybe with a little honey and cinnamon.

No one ever tried to force feed me anything, which was probably wise on their part.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/3/2007 2:59:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, julie.stevenson16@... writes:

I really don't get all these diet foods and drinks - for a start they are generally very unhealthy with the stuff they shove in to substitute what they have taken out.

I agree. Aspartame gives me a terrible headache and Splenda make a fabulous but overly effective laxative. I've gotten used to just adding a little shot of Coca Cola to a glass of water to give it some flavor, so much so that I can't really drink it straight anymore. Takes me more than a week to go through a 2 liter bottle.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

I really don't get all these diet foods and drinks - for a start they

are generally very unhealthy with the stuff they shove in to

substitute what they have taken out.

Why not either just not add all the artificial rubbish and use

healthy alternatives, like not all sugars are bad - sugar occurs

naturually in fruit (why add more?). Also the amount of fat pumped

into foods - herbs and spices could be used to make food taste better

and again not all fats are supposedly bad, use a higher quality fat

like 'olive oil' or something and use less.

At the moment I am finding it very hard to find any soft drinks that

don't contain aspartamine (or some other chemical sweetner). I used

to be able to buy 'no added' sugar drinks and they were fine and I

have to admit got me wondering why would anyone need to add extra

sugar?

I think I have heard about tests on mice regarding 'low fat' foods

and the mice actually got fatter - supposedly the conclusion (I

think) was that 'low fat' foods left people with an empty unfulfilled

feeling and so they ended up eating more - to me I can't help think

why not have a little of some good quality food rather than a whole

heap of rubbish.

Rant for the day :-)

>

>

> For years, non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family

members

> with taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to

trying and

> liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person

insisting

> that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food

or

> drink delicious.

>

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

>

http://news./s/livescience/20070430/sc_livescience/secrettoba

dt\

> astingdietsodasfound;_ylt=AuYWGNVpKnspOt118koSk8ADW7oF

>

<http://news./s/livescience/20070430/sc_livescience/secrettob

ad\

> tastingdietsodasfound;_ylt=AuYWGNVpKnspOt118koSk8ADW7oF>

>

<http://us.lrd./_ylt=AsKvnyx5V18hK2PvoeSzyr.zvtEF/SIG=10rbjkh

qd\

> /**http%3A//help./> Secret to Bad-Tasting Diet Sodas

Found

> LiveScience Staff

>

> Mon Apr 30, 7:50 AM ET

>

> It's the feel of diet soda in the mouth that makes it taste crummy,

not

> the flavor of the artificial sweetener, studies suggest.

>

>

>

> Consumers claim they dislike the taste of aspartame and Splenda, but

> research by two University of Illinois food scientists shows that

> swillers of diet and regular soda are also influenced by a subtle

factor

> called mouth-feel.

>

>

>

> Mouth-feel refers to a food or beverage's body, fullness and

thickness,

> the scientists say, and the presence of high-fructose corn syrup in

> regular soda and its absence in diet might be a distinguishing

factor

> for discerning drinkers.

>

>

>

> Drink up!

>

>

>

> Soo-Yeun Lee and Schmidt trained 12 people for four weeks to

use

> a 15-point scale to rate the characteristics that contribute to the

> mouth-feel of diet and regular soda. The panelists became so skilled

> that they were able to accurately identify significant differences

in

> the mouth-feel of 14 samples that sensitive lab instruments

identified

> as very small.

>

>

>

> " We worked with solutions of sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup,

> asking panelists to detect when beverages began to differ from

water in

> mouth-feel, " said sensory scientist Soo-Yeun Lee. " And they were

able to

> accurate identify varying degrees of viscosity on our 15-point

scale. "

>

>

>

> " The human mouth cavity appears to be a super-rheometer (the lab

> instrument that measures viscosity or thickness), " said Lee's

colleague

> Schmidt.

>

>

>

> Lee, Schmidt and S.M. Kappes, Lee's graduate student at the time,

> co-authored four studies about the sensory characteristics of diet

> beverages which were recently published in the Journal of Food

Science.

>

>

>

> Halo and horns effects

>

>

>

> Enjoying food is complex, involving not only taste and mouth-feel,

but

> also aroma, vision and hearing.

>

>

>

> " If you bite into an apple and it doesn't crunch, it affects your

> perception of the way the apple tastes, " Lee said. " And if a

beverage

> doesn't feel right in your mouth, that affects your perception of

the

> way the beverage tastes too. "

>

>

>

> If a food attribute enhances the flavor " sense " that humans have of

> something eaten, sensory scientists call that a " halo effect. " If

the

> attribute diminishes the flavor sense, scientists say it has a horns

> effect.

>

>

>

> When color was added to lemon-lime beverages, panelists believed

that

> the beverage had more body, meaning the color conferred a halo

effect.

> But the color also led tasters to think the beverage had less

> carbonation, which it did not, meaning the color also conferred a

horns

> effect, Lee said.

>

>

>

> " We think the lemon-lime flavor, which is exciting to the mouth,

helps

> mask the mouth-feel difference, and that's why diet lemon-lime

drinks

> were perceived as tasting more like their non-diet counterpoint than

> cola-flavored drinks, " Lee said.

>

>

>

> " It's probably also the reason the new lime diet colas are so

popular, "

> Lee said. " The sour taste of the lime works with the carbonation to

keep

> the mouth busy so the consumer doesn't notice the lack of body as

much. "

>

>

>

> Seeking a new ingredient

>

>

>

> Eventually, the scientists would like to find an ingredient that

gives

> body to diet soft drinks without adding calories or other unpleasant

> side effects.

>

>

>

> " We need to find an ingredient that has no calories but gives the

same

> mouth-feel as sucrose, " Lee said.

>

> This ingredient would make diet drinks more appealing. " If we could

make

> diet soda taste better, it would be a big step in fighting the

obesity

> epidemic, " Schmidt said. " Many people know they should cut

calories, but

> they won't drink diet pop because they don't like the taste. "

>

> Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific

inquiry

> with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports

> amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for

> people on the go. Check out our collection of Science, Animal and

> Dinosaur Pictures, Science Videos, Hot Topics, Trivia, Top 10s,

Voting,

> Amazing Images, Reader Favorites, and more. Get cool gadgets at the

new

> LiveScience Store, sign up for our free daily email newsletter and

check

> out our RSS feeds today!

>

[Guest guest]

I really don't get all these diet foods and drinks - for a start they

are generally very unhealthy with the stuff they shove in to

substitute what they have taken out.

Why not either just not add all the artificial rubbish and use

healthy alternatives, like not all sugars are bad - sugar occurs

naturually in fruit (why add more?). Also the amount of fat pumped

into foods - herbs and spices could be used to make food taste better

and again not all fats are supposedly bad, use a higher quality fat

like 'olive oil' or something and use less.

At the moment I am finding it very hard to find any soft drinks that

don't contain aspartamine (or some other chemical sweetner). I used

to be able to buy 'no added' sugar drinks and they were fine and I

have to admit got me wondering why would anyone need to add extra

sugar?

I think I have heard about tests on mice regarding 'low fat' foods

and the mice actually got fatter - supposedly the conclusion (I

think) was that 'low fat' foods left people with an empty unfulfilled

feeling and so they ended up eating more - to me I can't help think

why not have a little of some good quality food rather than a whole

heap of rubbish.

Rant for the day :-)

>

>

> For years, non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family

members

> with taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to

trying and

> liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person

insisting

> that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food

or

> drink delicious.

>

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

>

http://news./s/livescience/20070430/sc_livescience/secrettoba

dt\

> astingdietsodasfound;_ylt=AuYWGNVpKnspOt118koSk8ADW7oF

>

<http://news./s/livescience/20070430/sc_livescience/secrettob

ad\

> tastingdietsodasfound;_ylt=AuYWGNVpKnspOt118koSk8ADW7oF>

>

<http://us.lrd./_ylt=AsKvnyx5V18hK2PvoeSzyr.zvtEF/SIG=10rbjkh

qd\

> /**http%3A//help./> Secret to Bad-Tasting Diet Sodas

Found

> LiveScience Staff

>

> Mon Apr 30, 7:50 AM ET

>

> It's the feel of diet soda in the mouth that makes it taste crummy,

not

> the flavor of the artificial sweetener, studies suggest.

>

>

>

> Consumers claim they dislike the taste of aspartame and Splenda, but

> research by two University of Illinois food scientists shows that

> swillers of diet and regular soda are also influenced by a subtle

factor

> called mouth-feel.

>

>

>

> Mouth-feel refers to a food or beverage's body, fullness and

thickness,

> the scientists say, and the presence of high-fructose corn syrup in

> regular soda and its absence in diet might be a distinguishing

factor

> for discerning drinkers.

>

>

>

> Drink up!

>

>

>

> Soo-Yeun Lee and Schmidt trained 12 people for four weeks to

use

> a 15-point scale to rate the characteristics that contribute to the

> mouth-feel of diet and regular soda. The panelists became so skilled

> that they were able to accurately identify significant differences

in

> the mouth-feel of 14 samples that sensitive lab instruments

identified

> as very small.

>

>

>

> " We worked with solutions of sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup,

> asking panelists to detect when beverages began to differ from

water in

> mouth-feel, " said sensory scientist Soo-Yeun Lee. " And they were

able to

> accurate identify varying degrees of viscosity on our 15-point

scale. "

>

>

>

> " The human mouth cavity appears to be a super-rheometer (the lab

> instrument that measures viscosity or thickness), " said Lee's

colleague

> Schmidt.

>

>

>

> Lee, Schmidt and S.M. Kappes, Lee's graduate student at the time,

> co-authored four studies about the sensory characteristics of diet

> beverages which were recently published in the Journal of Food

Science.

>

>

>

> Halo and horns effects

>

>

>

> Enjoying food is complex, involving not only taste and mouth-feel,

but

> also aroma, vision and hearing.

>

>

>

> " If you bite into an apple and it doesn't crunch, it affects your

> perception of the way the apple tastes, " Lee said. " And if a

beverage

> doesn't feel right in your mouth, that affects your perception of

the

> way the beverage tastes too. "

>

>

>

> If a food attribute enhances the flavor " sense " that humans have of

> something eaten, sensory scientists call that a " halo effect. " If

the

> attribute diminishes the flavor sense, scientists say it has a horns

> effect.

>

>

>

> When color was added to lemon-lime beverages, panelists believed

that

> the beverage had more body, meaning the color conferred a halo

effect.

> But the color also led tasters to think the beverage had less

> carbonation, which it did not, meaning the color also conferred a

horns

> effect, Lee said.

>

>

>

> " We think the lemon-lime flavor, which is exciting to the mouth,

helps

> mask the mouth-feel difference, and that's why diet lemon-lime

drinks

> were perceived as tasting more like their non-diet counterpoint than

> cola-flavored drinks, " Lee said.

>

>

>

> " It's probably also the reason the new lime diet colas are so

popular, "

> Lee said. " The sour taste of the lime works with the carbonation to

keep

> the mouth busy so the consumer doesn't notice the lack of body as

much. "

>

>

>

> Seeking a new ingredient

>

>

>

> Eventually, the scientists would like to find an ingredient that

gives

> body to diet soft drinks without adding calories or other unpleasant

> side effects.

>

>

>

> " We need to find an ingredient that has no calories but gives the

same

> mouth-feel as sucrose, " Lee said.

>

> This ingredient would make diet drinks more appealing. " If we could

make

> diet soda taste better, it would be a big step in fighting the

obesity

> epidemic, " Schmidt said. " Many people know they should cut

calories, but

> they won't drink diet pop because they don't like the taste. "

>

> Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific

inquiry

> with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports

> amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for

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>

[Guest guest]

I really don't understand the 'mind set' of people who insist that

you 'try' something you don't want - like I wonder why they can't

take 'no' for an answer.

Sometimes I might have already tried such in the past and know for a

fact that I cannot stomach it - I try to relay this info' and seem to

meet with communication break down - I so tempted to say 'what part

of I do not like this, don't you understand?'

I am aware that sometimes even the look or smell of certain things

are a very good gaurentee that I am not going to like it - but trying

to explain that to some is back to the 'why don't you understand me?'

business.

If my son doesn't want to eat something, he doesn't have to; he's

aware that I never force him to eat anything. I am fortunate he has a

healthy appetite and he doesn't just only eat junk, although I am

aware he is prone to going for crisps and chocolate first whilst by

passing the fruit bowl; however he has a reasonably varied diet and

is not overweight and quite healthy, so I not overly concerned - I

just make sure he doesn't eat too much junk (empty calories, no real

nutrition foods). I don't consider my son fussy - he just knows what

he likes and dislikes (as do I), but for some reasons this interprets

as 'fussy' to some.

Example of such involved having lunch out with my mum, there was

something on the menu I liked, but it came with crusty bread, which I

do not like. So I asked if I could have the dish without the crusty

bread, after all I would just have ended up leaving it which would be

waste, so why bother putting it on in the first place - my mum

interpretted this as fussy. To me was just common sense and knowing

what I like and dislike, why does this = 'fussy' to some?

>

>

> In a message dated 5/1/2007 8:42:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> drumthis2001@... writes:

>

> Actually, I didn't have that problem. Around the age of 3 or 4 my

dad forced

> me to eat a chunk of tomato. I swallowed it then I spewed a load

of

> hydrochloric acid and oatmeal onto their floor!!!!!!!Actually, I

didn't

>

>

>

> Excellent solution. I was too stubborn and would end up sitting

there for

> hours looking at nasty food that never got looking any better. What

I never

> understood was that I would eat things, just not a wide variety, so

why wasn't

> that sufficient? It was a lot easier to cook for me, I thought,

since you knew

> what I liked, so keep it on hand. On the other hand, the others

would fuss

> and argue about what they were going to eat and cooked different

things, that

> is when they didn't brow beat the odd man out until they agreed to

go with the

> herd.

>

> My mother still says that I am hard to cook for. No, I'm not. I'll

eat the

> same things day after day, but she's the one that has to have

variety.

>

>

>

>

>

> ************************************** See what's free at

http://www.aol.com.

>

[Guest guest]

I really don't understand the 'mind set' of people who insist that

you 'try' something you don't want - like I wonder why they can't

take 'no' for an answer.

Sometimes I might have already tried such in the past and know for a

fact that I cannot stomach it - I try to relay this info' and seem to

meet with communication break down - I so tempted to say 'what part

of I do not like this, don't you understand?'

I am aware that sometimes even the look or smell of certain things

are a very good gaurentee that I am not going to like it - but trying

to explain that to some is back to the 'why don't you understand me?'

business.

If my son doesn't want to eat something, he doesn't have to; he's

aware that I never force him to eat anything. I am fortunate he has a

healthy appetite and he doesn't just only eat junk, although I am

aware he is prone to going for crisps and chocolate first whilst by

passing the fruit bowl; however he has a reasonably varied diet and

is not overweight and quite healthy, so I not overly concerned - I

just make sure he doesn't eat too much junk (empty calories, no real

nutrition foods). I don't consider my son fussy - he just knows what

he likes and dislikes (as do I), but for some reasons this interprets

as 'fussy' to some.

Example of such involved having lunch out with my mum, there was

something on the menu I liked, but it came with crusty bread, which I

do not like. So I asked if I could have the dish without the crusty

bread, after all I would just have ended up leaving it which would be

waste, so why bother putting it on in the first place - my mum

interpretted this as fussy. To me was just common sense and knowing

what I like and dislike, why does this = 'fussy' to some?

>

>

> In a message dated 5/1/2007 8:42:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> drumthis2001@... writes:

>

> Actually, I didn't have that problem. Around the age of 3 or 4 my

dad forced

> me to eat a chunk of tomato. I swallowed it then I spewed a load

of

> hydrochloric acid and oatmeal onto their floor!!!!!!!Actually, I

didn't

>

>

>

> Excellent solution. I was too stubborn and would end up sitting

there for

> hours looking at nasty food that never got looking any better. What

I never

> understood was that I would eat things, just not a wide variety, so

why wasn't

> that sufficient? It was a lot easier to cook for me, I thought,

since you knew

> what I liked, so keep it on hand. On the other hand, the others

would fuss

> and argue about what they were going to eat and cooked different

things, that

> is when they didn't brow beat the odd man out until they agreed to

go with the

> herd.

>

> My mother still says that I am hard to cook for. No, I'm not. I'll

eat the

> same things day after day, but she's the one that has to have

variety.

>

>

>

>

>

> ************************************** See what's free at

http://www.aol.com.

>

[Guest guest]

" My mother however made us eat spoiled baloney (because she bought

it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable things including foods that

we had eaten once already (the one time my father saved me) "

I'm beginning to wonder if some of the mothers here aren't somehow

related.

My mum too has many times tried to give me food that is out of date,

just because she didn't want to throw it away. I do have a sensitive

stomach and a lot of stomach upsets when younger - I'm sure all the

rubbish my mum used to try and make me eat can't have helped. I even

found out from my step dad that she'd given my son an out of date

yogurt - boy did I go mad with her. She seems to come from an era or

culture where 'out of date' doesn't seem to apply or be relevant to

her.

For years,

> non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with

> taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and

> liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person

insisting

> that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food

or

> drink delicious.

> > Raven

> > Co-Administrator

> I too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the

> list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled

> baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of

unmentionable

> things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time

> my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food

> person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes,

> pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed

> salad. etc

>

[Guest guest]

" My mother however made us eat spoiled baloney (because she bought

it) as well as a myriad of unmentionable things including foods that

we had eaten once already (the one time my father saved me) "

I'm beginning to wonder if some of the mothers here aren't somehow

related.

My mum too has many times tried to give me food that is out of date,

just because she didn't want to throw it away. I do have a sensitive

stomach and a lot of stomach upsets when younger - I'm sure all the

rubbish my mum used to try and make me eat can't have helped. I even

found out from my step dad that she'd given my son an out of date

yogurt - boy did I go mad with her. She seems to come from an era or

culture where 'out of date' doesn't seem to apply or be relevant to

her.

For years,

> non-AS poeple have abused their AS friends and family members with

> taunts of being intentionally difficult when it comes to trying and

> liking new foods and drinks, claiming that they [the person

insisting

> that the Aspie try and like the new finding offered] find the food

or

> drink delicious.

> > Raven

> > Co-Administrator

> I too vomited oatmeal always, never could drink soda or beer, the

> list was actually long. My mother however made us eat spoiled

> baloney (because she bought it) as well as a myriad of

unmentionable

> things including foods that we had eaten once already (the one time

> my father saved me) I'm sorry but I have never been a good food

> person. I do however eat a buch of unpopular foods. Radishes,

> pickeled ginger, all manner of vegetables Quince, kolorabi, seaweed

> salad. etc

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/3/2007 3:36:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, julie.stevenson16@... writes:

I really don't understand the 'mind set' of people who insist that you 'try' something you don't want - like I wonder why they can't take 'no' for an answer.Sometimes I might have already tried such in the past and know for a fact that I cannot stomach it - I try to relay this info' and seem to meet with communication break down - I so tempted to say 'what part of I do not like this, don't you understand?'

I think it was Bobcat Goldthwait who had a skit that went something like:

"Come on, try it."

"I don't want to."

"Well, its tastes just like chicken."

"If it tastes just like chicken, then give me some (expletive) chicken!"

I'll try new things if I want to, mostly when I am traveling. Otherwise, the old standards are just fine.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/3/2007 3:36:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, julie.stevenson16@... writes:

I really don't understand the 'mind set' of people who insist that you 'try' something you don't want - like I wonder why they can't take 'no' for an answer.Sometimes I might have already tried such in the past and know for a fact that I cannot stomach it - I try to relay this info' and seem to meet with communication break down - I so tempted to say 'what part of I do not like this, don't you understand?'

I think it was Bobcat Goldthwait who had a skit that went something like:

"Come on, try it."

"I don't want to."

"Well, its tastes just like chicken."

"If it tastes just like chicken, then give me some (expletive) chicken!"

I'll try new things if I want to, mostly when I am traveling. Otherwise, the old standards are just fine.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

Didn't really have a problem with spoiled food here. If it was bad or even suspected of being bad, it got thrown out. The big problem was that the family loved stuff that looked like hog sloppings. They loved casseroles, quiches, "salads," (potato, chicken, tuna, etc), things that just literally turned my stomach to look at them. At least my maternal grandmother was decent enough to keep some hot dogs and the few other things I would eat handy and would make them for me.

See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

wrote: " I really don't understand the 'mind set' of people who

insist that you 'try' something you don't want - like I wonder why

they can't take 'no' for an answer ... <snip> ... "

I'd like to answer that since I have asked Cub to try new foods in

the past. I do not preface it with " Try it -- you'll like it " or " Try

it -- you'll like it the way I make it. "

I present it with the understanding that after one reasonable taste,

if he hates it, he has a pat answer for anyone else who says, " You'd

like it if you'd just try it. " He can say he tried it and did not

like it. End of argument. :-)

And just so you know, my parents nearly killed me with their inane

insistence when I was 4 that I eat mashed turnips. Four days running

the same 2 tablespoons of mashed turnips turned up on my plate for

all three meals because I refused to eat them at supper on night.

My mother caved first because she was terrified of being accused of

starving her child to death over 2 tablespoons of mashed turnips.

My father gave in but not before smashing the dinner plate against

the dining room wall and swatting me across the back of the head,

followed by a statement to my mother that from thereon in, I could

either eat what was served or die.

I didn't die but that doesn't mean I ate everything on my plate from

thereon in either.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

>

> I really don't get all these diet foods and drinks - for a start they

> are generally very unhealthy with the stuff they shove in to

> substitute what they have taken out.

>

> Why not either just not add all the artificial rubbish and use

> healthy alternatives, like not all sugars are bad - sugar occurs

> naturually in fruit (why add more?). Also the amount of fat pumped

> into foods - herbs and spices could be used to make food taste better

You touch upon something very interesting. If everyone ate healthy and

there were no dieters and healthy foods were readily available there

would be no need to sell diet foods. this would make companies sad.

There is a sweetener made from or rather gotten by crushing a leaf

(stevia) There are 2 kinds one with maltitol added (not good ) and one

that is stevia alone. it is sweet you can put it in stuff and no

calories. Best of all it is a leaf. I am not a grower of foods but I

am very tempted. It is very hard to find food that is not tampered

with. SALT is the spice most food companies opt for when enhancing

flavor or my fav monosodium glutemate. or MSG. Chinese joints took

the fall but msg is in everything. the trick is it inhances flavor by

making the taste buds believe that there is more food in their food. a

little chicken tasted like a lot, but when digestion is over the

stomach is not full and asks for more (real food) hence why diet foods

don't work. they manage to pack the calories in but not protein, or

vitamins or minerals. this makes the food cheap to produce and these

companies sell you 75cents wort of food for 4 dollars. See fun

[Guest guest]

>

> I really don't get all these diet foods and drinks - for a start they

> are generally very unhealthy with the stuff they shove in to

> substitute what they have taken out.

>

> Why not either just not add all the artificial rubbish and use

> healthy alternatives, like not all sugars are bad - sugar occurs

> naturually in fruit (why add more?). Also the amount of fat pumped

> into foods - herbs and spices could be used to make food taste better

You touch upon something very interesting. If everyone ate healthy and

there were no dieters and healthy foods were readily available there

would be no need to sell diet foods. this would make companies sad.

There is a sweetener made from or rather gotten by crushing a leaf

(stevia) There are 2 kinds one with maltitol added (not good ) and one

that is stevia alone. it is sweet you can put it in stuff and no

calories. Best of all it is a leaf. I am not a grower of foods but I

am very tempted. It is very hard to find food that is not tampered

with. SALT is the spice most food companies opt for when enhancing

flavor or my fav monosodium glutemate. or MSG. Chinese joints took

the fall but msg is in everything. the trick is it inhances flavor by

making the taste buds believe that there is more food in their food. a

little chicken tasted like a lot, but when digestion is over the

stomach is not full and asks for more (real food) hence why diet foods

don't work. they manage to pack the calories in but not protein, or

vitamins or minerals. this makes the food cheap to produce and these

companies sell you 75cents wort of food for 4 dollars. See fun

[Guest guest]

> I agree. Aspartame gives me a terrible headache and Splenda make a

fabulous

> but overly effective laxative. I've gotten used to just adding a

little shot

> of Coca Cola to a glass of water to give it some flavor,

These two items are not sugar they are chemical compounds and not meant

for ingestion. i am unsure but I think you can get cola syrup to do

what you have written. while soda is not a health food it is better

than the sugar substitutes. when i was a child we sucked on birch

sticks. remember birch beer. or honeysuckle flowers, you can flavor

water with flowers or birch. companies don't make money off of that

either

There is one product i like orange juice with calcium. That is the

best method to get calcium to absorb into the body, the citrus and

calcium attract and absorb better than milk

[Guest guest]

> I agree. Aspartame gives me a terrible headache and Splenda make a

fabulous

> but overly effective laxative. I've gotten used to just adding a

little shot

> of Coca Cola to a glass of water to give it some flavor,

These two items are not sugar they are chemical compounds and not meant

for ingestion. i am unsure but I think you can get cola syrup to do

what you have written. while soda is not a health food it is better

than the sugar substitutes. when i was a child we sucked on birch

sticks. remember birch beer. or honeysuckle flowers, you can flavor

water with flowers or birch. companies don't make money off of that

either

There is one product i like orange juice with calcium. That is the

best method to get calcium to absorb into the body, the citrus and

calcium attract and absorb better than milk