Evolutionary Explanation for Food Preferences

• Ancestors

  Survived in environment of evolutionary adaptation

  • Develop individual food preferences for foods that gave best chance at survival of the species ---> reproduce and pass on preference

  They faced unpredictable food supply and need to store energy. Preferred energy dense and non poisonous food
• Sweet food

  • High sugar concentration - gives energy
  • Rarely poisonous = safe to eat

  Whilst sour or bitter would be seen as toxic
• Fatty food

  • High in fat = energy dense which releases energy
  • Meat is high in fat = human to survive between animal kills
• Salty food


  • Important for conducting nerve impulses & contracting or relaxing muscles
  • Maintaining balance of water and minerals
  • Concentration of salt in the blood must remain at certain level
  • Salt is lost in sweat by kidneys
• What is neophobia

  Innate tendency to avoid new foods. Its a protective function as unknown foods may be toxic

  Found in babies when they go from milk to food. Explains why toddlers refuse to eat new foods.

  Birch - neophobic reactions to new food will decrease with repeated exposure once they get used to it
• What is taste aversion?

  Occurs when individual becomes ill after eating a food

  Results in them avoiding food in future because they will associate it with illness
• Strength of evolutionary explanation

  Body of evidence

  Knaaplia et al - twin study using standardised questionnaire to measure neophobia

  • Heritability of neophobia = 67%

  Supports idea that neophobia evolved from ancestors protecting themselves from eating poisonous food = robust evidence
• Strength of evolutionary explanation

  Practical application

  Bernstein & Webster - investigated taste aversion

  • Adults given ice cream before getting chemo developed taste aversion to it as they associated it with their nausea (chemo caused nausea)

  This stemmed applications in healthcare to understand patients & treatments to manage their diet.

  • e.g. giving bland foods before treatments
• Limitation of evolutionary approach (argue with strength of body of evidence point)

  However whilst it body of evidence strengthens approach its

  Biologically determinist (weakens body of evidence)

  • Overlooks how environment & culture can influence food preferences and neophobia

  Ind can overcome neophobia through repeated exposure (Birch)
• Strength of evolutionary explanation


  Practical application

  Bernstein & Webster - investigated taste aversion

  • Adults given ice cream before getting chemo developed taste aversion to it as they associated it with their nausea (chemo caused nausea)

  This stemmed applications in healthcare to understand patients & treatments to manage their diet.

  • e.g. giving bland foods before treatments
• Limitation of evolutionary explanation

  Temporal validity

  Struggle to account for changes in eating behaviours in modern society

  • Theory suggests preference for calorie dense food evolved during times of not much food variety

  This preference is now different - calorie dense food is available everywhere ---> explanation may no longer be relevant