Last semester I carried out a little experiment in my Chemistry of Food course. At the end of the last lecture, I handed out a blank sheet of paper and asked students to anonymously list the foods and beverages they had consumed the day before, being as specific about amounts as possible. I also asked them to comment on a scale of 1-10 about the impact that my 39 hours of lectures had on changing their diet and what specific change they made. I had about 400 responses and they sure made for interesting reading. Obviously, this can in no way be construed as a scientific study, I was just interested to see if anything really popped out. And it did!

It immediately became clear that even a rough estimate of calorie count, protein, fat, sugar or any other nutrient intake was impossible because of the generally vague report of quantities. “A cup of pasta,” “serving of roasted chicken,” “a bowl of cereal,” “one serving of strawberries,” “bowl of noodles, beef slices and bok choy” or “plate of salad” are not specific enough to allow for even a guess at nutrient intake. Memories were also quite spotty. One student listed 6 onion rings, around 10 French fries and 2 litres of oat tea as his total consumption, while some others had long, detailed lists but with sketchy guesses at amounts. Nevertheless, I was able to glean some interesting information.

Fruit and vegetable consumption appeared to be at most 2-3 servings, well short of the recommended 5-7. I was stunned by how few students listed pizza, and by the almost total absence of candies, desserts and soft drinks. It is a good bet that there was a reticence to report behaviour that may be looked on as unfavourable. Since I had put much emphasis on the need to reduce........

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