Why is unhealthy food usually extremely tasty?

Answer

Dear,

I probably don’t have a complete answer to this either – maybe there’s something psychological going on, who knows. What is a fact is that we just like fat. Fat is also sometimes called a hidden seducer: if we don’t see it and it is present, we find it very tasty; when we see it we think: wow, but maybe it’s better to get rid of the fat.
There are countless illustrations that higher-fat products simply taste better: just think of low-fat or full-fat yogurt, low-fat or fatty cheese, lean white blue beef compared to Irish beef with a lot of intermediate fat, …
A similar thing occurs with a sweet taste: we just really like this!
And with sugar and fat together it is of course a party (cakes, etc.).

Feel free to enjoy it, but best in moderation!

Regards

Bruno De Meulenaer
UGent