Food experiences extend beyond taste alone, encompassing a range of sensory factors that influence how people perceive and enjoy what they eat, according to Tracy Wong Fang Lian, a lecturer at Taylor’s Culinary Institute. Her insights highlight the importance of integrating sensory science into efforts to promote healthier eating habits.

Wong emphasizes that while taste is often attributed solely to the tongue, aroma, visual presentation, texture, temperature, sound, and even memories all shape the overall enjoyment of a meal. She points to examples such as airline food, where changes in cabin pressure and humidity can dull aromas and flavors, and noisy environments that affect the eating experience. Similarly, restaurants use lighting, ambience, and plating to set expectations before a dish is tasted.

This broader understanding of eating as a multisensory experience, Wong argues, can be leveraged to make healthier food options more appealing. She encourages students developing food products to balance nutritional improvements—like reducing sugar, increasing fiber, adding vegetables, and boosting protein—with sensory qualities that drive enjoyment. Altering ingredients can impact color, aroma, and texture, which in turn affects whether consumers want to eat a product repeatedly.

Wong illustrates this approach through her involvement in Nourish-U, an initiative by Taylor’s Impact Lab that challenges students to create nutritious food options tailored for children. Recognizing that vegetables may not initially excite young eaters, the program focuses first on the eating experience rather than emphasizing health. One example involved making nuggets featuring okara—a soy milk byproduct—combined with mushrooms, carrots, and onions, shaped into playful animal forms. Children not only tried the nuggets, but also expressed genuine enjoyment, responding positively upon learning about the ingredients.

This case, Wong notes, demonstrates how positive sensory experiences can reshape perceptions and increase curiosity about foods that might otherwise be rejected. She suggests that this lesson has broader applications for food education, where teaching must go beyond nutritional knowledge to include understanding the preferences, culture, and habits that influence food choices.

Wong concludes that making food healthier should not mean sacrificing enjoyment. Instead, training future food professionals to blend nutrition with sensory appeal could help position healthier eating as a desirable option rather than a compromise, ultimately encouraging more sustainable changes in diet.