What was this study where people ate gray mush vs. colorful food?

July 10, 2013 8:35 AM

Somewhere in the last two to five years, I read about a study where a group of women (I believe the women were Asian, possibly Vietnamese or Thai) were given meals that were: (1) either beautifully and colorfully presented, or (2) pureed into a gray mush. The meals had exactly the same nutritional content, but the women receiving the colorful meal absorbed more nutrients. But I can't find any articles or the study itself. I've been Googling up a storm and still nothin'. Anyone remember this, or articles about this? Help me please?
posted by amoeba to Science & Nature (2 answers total)

I googled for you, but was too lazy to actually read this PDF on food color and perceived flavor to see if it had the reference you want. It does seem to be about the general topic, at least.
posted by vegartanipla at 11:53 AM on July 10, 2013

Oh, and here's a more laypersony article that covers a variety of studies on the topic, though the summaries are so vague it's hard to tell if one is yours or not. But you could dig into the ones that sound similar.
posted by vegartanipla at 11:58 AM on July 10, 2013