Curious Cravings: The Difference Between Men and Women
When it comes to second dinners, late-night snacking and comfort food, it's no secret that girls will gratify their sweet tooth while men will reach for saltier snacks. Brian Wansink, a professor at Cornell and the former Executive Director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, has
published research on the psychology behind gender and their choices for guilty pleasure food.
Men, he says, prefer "warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as steak, casseroles, and soup)" while women crave snacks such as "chocolate and ice cream." Perhaps the reason for this, he suggests, is not a difference of taste according to gender but a difference in psychology -- men are nostalgic for food their mothers made, while women crave foods that require less cooking, such as candy and ice cream. Interestingly, while some salty snacks such as potato chips also require no preparation, Wansink's study found that women generally went for sweet snacks more frequently than men.
Salty or sweet, these foods are not for the calorie-conscious. But that doesn't mean you have to go without: try these relatively low-calorie and easy recipes the next time you're in the mood to snack, guilt-free.
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