They're more commonly known as "foodies" or "gourmands" due to their enjoyment of food, but also uncommon recipes and new ways to try them.
The study was conducted on 512 women of both racial and cultural diversity from different parts of America. All had the average body mass index (BMI) and none were declared as vegetarians in order to present as little bias of the study as possible.
Their spirit of adventure regarding food was measured through a series of factors, such as their perception of novel foods that might not be found at every restaurant, lifestyle, physical activity and psychological traits, such as their personality.
They took the aforementioned factors into consideration and inquired about their eating habits along with their general satisfaction with their own bodies. The participants were given a list of 16 types of uncommon food, untypical for the average American, and asked which of them they have been curious enough to try throughout their lives.
In order to be considered an "adventurous eater", the participating women had to have tried over half of the listed meals. Meaning 9 out of the items should have been experienced for them to gain the label, which included dishes such as Kimchi, polenta, beef tongue, bean sprouts and seitan.
The results showed that along with the fact that adventurous eaters have healthier diets and eating habits, they also generally have a lower body mass index. They also spend more time exercising, are more social, and much less concerned about the aspect of their food than unhealthy eaters.
What is important about the study is that it will open new horizon for dieticians who could encourage their patients to try new things. Exiting one's comfort zone can actually prove to be healthy for the body and a diversified diet could help losing weight.
The researchers found that adventurous eaters are also more prone to learning how to cook novel dishes and explore their food pallet over dinner with their friends.
Perhaps foods that have been avoided in the past hold necessary nutrients that you might not even know your body craves. Bringing a bit of variety to your diet could eliminate the routine meals and boredom that has been associated to eating out of lack of activity and thus gaining weight.
Studies have also suggested that the food's aspect is an important factor before its even tasted and most refuse solely based on how it looks. Adventurous eaters easily step over that obstacle, so it has been suggested that non-adventurous eaters might dabble in uncommon dishes if the packing were to be more appealing.
There is no exact proof that BMI is influenced by eating unusual meals, but it certainly can't hurt your health or cause you to gain weight. It can, however, help you diversify your food pallet and perhaps discover tasty, healthier foods to enjoy.
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