84 Unit 2 Nutrition and Food Choices Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Consider How Food Is Prepared. The way food is prepared also in- fl uences the number of calories it contains. Fried foods, for example, have fl more calories than baked or raw foods because the fried food absorbs oil or butter while frying. A grilled chicken leg has 60 calories whereas a fried chicken leg has 130 calories. Something as simple as the method of food preparation can cause the food’s calories to double. Food can also provide different nutrients depending on how it is served. For example, apples with their skins on have more fi ber than peeled apples. fi fi This is one reason why eating an apple is better for you than eating applesauce or drinking apple juice. By peeling and processing fruits and vegetables, you are removing some of their nutrients. Leaving the skin or peel on gives you a much more nutritious option (Figure 3.11). Does McDonald’s Food Taste Better? In a recent study, researchers wanted to examine the effects of food logos and packaging on children’s taste preferences. The study sought to discover if children believe that food from McDonald’s tastes better than the same food from a grocery store. Researchers asked 63 children (from 3 and 5 years of age) to taste fi ve different foods: chicken nuggets, a hamburger, French fries, baby carrots, and milk. The chicken nuggets, hamburger, and French fries were all from McDonald’s. The carrots and milk were from a grocery store. Each type of food was divided into two portions. One portion was wrapped in a McDonald’s wrapper or placed in a McDonald’s bag. The second portion was given to the children in a wrapper or bag without the McDonald’s logo. Therefore, the children tasted each of the fi ve types of foods twice—once in McDonald’s packaging and once with generic packaging. Can you guess what these researchers found? Overall, children preferred the taste of foods and drinks they thought were from McDonald’s. After taste-testing, the children said the chicken nuggets, fries, carrots, and milk wrapped in the McDonald’s Mc Do na ld s logo l og o tasted ta st ed better b et te r than th an the t he foods f oo ds in i n grocery gr oc er y store st or e packaging, even though the foods were exactly the same. Thinking Critically 1. What factors do you think contribute to children’s belief that food from McDonald’s tastes better? What role is played by family, society, and the media in the formation of this belief? 2. The children in this study were very young. Do you think researchers would fi nd the same results with older children and teenagers? Why or why not? 3. What are the consequences of the children's beliefs about McDonald's food? Can you think of strategies for changing such beliefs? Do you think such efforts could be effective? Research in Action