Taste and Feelings – The Biology of Food Preferences

Foundational Texts on Taste Perception

Gropper, S. S., Smith, J. L., & Carr, T. P. (2016). Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Cengage Learning.
Explores the physiological mechanisms of taste perception and its role in food selection and digestion.

Guyton, A. C. & Hall, J. E. (2016). Textbook of Medical Physiology. Elsevier.
Provides an in-depth discussion of taste buds, neural pathways, and their interaction with the brain.

Rolls, E. T. (2005). “Taste, olfactory, and food texture processing in the brain and the control of food intake.” Physiology & Behavior, 85(1), 45–56.
Highlights how taste integrates with olfactory and textural sensory inputs to influence eating behavior, modulating food preferences, satiety responses, and overall dietary intake.

The Biology of Taste

Scott, K. (2005). “Taste recognition: Food for thought.” Neuron, 48(3), 455–464.
Examines the molecular basis of taste perception, focusing on taste receptors, signal transduction pathways, and their role in guiding food choices and dietary behaviour.

Chandrashekar, J., Hoon, M. A., Ryba, N. J., et al. (2006). “The receptors and cells for mammalian taste.” Nature, 444(7117), 288–294.
Identifies the specific receptors responsible for detecting sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami tastes, detailing their molecular mechanisms and role in taste perception and food preference.

Bartoshuk, L. M. & Duffy, V. B. (2005). “Chemical senses: Taste and smell.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Explores the interaction between taste and smell in forming flavour perceptions.

Taste, Emotion, and Reward Pathways

Berridge, K. C. (2009). “‘Liking’ and ‘wanting’ food rewards: Brain substrates and roles in eating disorders.” Physiology & Behavior, 97(5), 537–550.
Explores the neural pathways linking taste perception to emotional and reward responses, highlighting the distinction between hedonic pleasure (liking) and motivational drive (wanting) in food consumption and eating disorders.

Rolls, E. T. (2005). Emotion explained: Neural systems underlying reward processing. Oxford University Press.
Discusses how taste activates reward centres in the brain, influencing mood and food preferences.

Scott, T. R. (2004). “Learning through taste and smell.” Progress in Neurobiology, 74(3), 297–325.
Examines how taste and smell reinforce emotional learning and behavioural conditioning, highlighting their role in food preference development, memory formation, and dietary habits.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Taste

Wrangham, R. W. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Basic Books.
Explores the evolutionary adaptation of taste preferences to identify energy-dense and safe foods.

Cordain, L., Eaton, S. B., Sebastian, A., et al. (2005). “Origins and evolution of the Western diet: Health implications for the 21st century.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(2), 341–354.
Highlights how ancestral diets influenced modern taste preferences, emphasizing the evolutionary basis for cravings, nutrient selection, and the mismatch between traditional human nutrition and contemporary dietary patterns.

Cultural and Psychological Dimensions of Taste

Rozin, P. (1996). “The socio-cultural context of eating and food choice.” Food Quality and Preference, 7(3–4), 195–202.
Examines how cultural factors shape taste preferences and food-related emotions, highlighting the role of learned associations, social norms, and traditional dietary practices in influencing food choices.

Fischler, C. (1988). “Food, self and identity.” Social Science Information, 27(2), 275–292.
Explores the role of taste in shaping cultural and individual identity, highlighting how food choices, dietary habits, and sensory experiences contribute to personal and collective identity formation.

Mintz, S. W. (1985). Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Penguin Books.
Investigates the cultural and emotional power of sweet taste in shaping global dietary trends.

Modern Disruptions to Taste Perception

Moss, M. (2013). Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House.
Examines how the food industry manipulates taste to promote overconsumption.

Steele, E. M., Baraldi, L. G., & Louzada, M. L. et al. (2016). “Ultra-processed foods and health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Public Health Nutrition.
Highlights how ultra-processed foods alter natural taste preferences and reward pathways.

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain.” Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Demonstrates how modern ultra-processed diets distort the relationship between taste and satiety by enhancing palatability, overriding natural hunger signals, and promoting excessive calorie consumption.

Taste and Gut–Brain Axis Interactions

Mayer, E. A. (2016). The Mind-Gut Connection. Harper Wave.
Discusses how taste influences gut–brain communication and systemic health.

Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). “Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701–712.
Highlights the role of gut microbiota in modulating taste perception and emotional responses, emphasizing the gut-brain axis’s influence on food preferences, mood regulation, and reward mechanisms.

Frost, G., Sleeth, M. L., Sahuri-Arisoylu, M., et al. (2014). “The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism.” Nature Communications, 5, 3611.
Examines how microbial metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate, influence taste perception and appetite regulation by modulating central homeostatic mechanisms and gut-brain signalling.

Strategies for Restoring Natural Taste Preferences

Fung, J. (2016). The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Greystone Books.
Discusses how to reset taste preferences by reducing exposure to highly processed foods.

Katz, D. L., Meller, S., Battista, R., et al. (2014). “Can we say what diet is best for health?” Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 83–103.
Highlights the role of whole, unprocessed foods in restoring balanced taste perceptions, emphasizing how nutrient-dense diets realign sensory responses, satiety signals, and long-term dietary preferences.

Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., et al. (2019). “Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445.
Explores how fibre-rich foods enhance natural taste satisfaction and reduce cravings for processed foods by promoting satiety, stabilising blood sugar levels, and supporting gut microbiota balance.