Here’s some food for thought

Researchers at the University of South Australia are working on ways to improve food for people in nursing homes and hospitals.

Dr Annet Hoek, research fellow at the university, says she was “shocked” to discover up to 85% of residential aged-care residents in developed countries such as Australia may be malnourished.

“Food intake is obviously a big problem in this group; and while we know older and sick people have less appetite, the impact of taste and how taste is influenced by other senses is certainly a big contributor to this problem,” Dr Hoek says.

She has begun working with colleagues throughout different areas at the University of South Australia on how to improve food in nursing homes and hospitals.

While taste is a powerful sense for many, it influences the food and drinks that we consume every day;according to Dr Hoek, there is a range of other senses that impact how we “experience” our food.

“The appearance of the food and the environment in which you are eating it are significant factors affecting how food tastes, as are the smell of the food and the smells around you; how the food may have been described on a menu and who you are eating with.”

She says food marketers have “caught onto” this in recent years and undertake a lot of research on what consumers want out of their food before launching a new product.

“For example, there are many more instant food and drink products available now, such as breakfast drinks, as people tend to eat on the go more,” she says.

The benefit of food research is important to Dr Hoek, who says it can also help from a health perspective.

“How to get kids to eat more fruit and vegetables, and how to improve the health of sick and elderly people by improving their appetite [are important studies].

“We know older people and sick people have less appetite. It is part of the natural ageing process that tastes declines when you get older, so you need more intense flavours. When you are not at home but in a hospital or a residential aged care facility, there are even more changes on top of that,” she says.

Dr Hoek says everything that was once “normal” to a person when eating at home with their family, such as sitting at a nice table, “maybe with a candle and china-wear”, is “taken away”.

“You are eating food that someone picked out for you, from your bed and on a tray table,” she says.

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