Nutrition and our brain

Why are we often unable to resist the temptation for fatty and sugary foods? At the Donders Institute in Nijmegen, Janny undergoes an MRI scan, where she finds out what her brain responds to most; sweet or savory. The outcome is surprising. Janny also gives tips on how to resist temptation.

What does the smell of food do to your brain and how important is it for your taste? For this, Janny goes to the Smell and Taste Center at Wageningen University. In a care center she tests residents to see what smells do to their emotions and memories. And she discovers how you can use scent to get people to eat healthier.

To eat healthily, it is useful if many things taste good to you. Can you do something about that yourself by developing your taste? And how can you eat well if your sense of smell and taste are impaired? Janny follows a cooking workshop for people who have partially lost their sense of smell or taste and discovers that there are still many options for tasty and healthy food.

When do you know if you have eaten enough and how do you ensure that you do not eat too much? Together with nutrition researcher Guido Camps (and former finalist of Heel Holland Bakt), Janny conducts an experiment that shows that you are more satiated if you eat something with structure. Janny also tests the importance of chewing, together with star chef Joris Bijdendijk.

Janny discovers how much sugar we unknowingly consume and what that does to our brain. Brace yourself, because the results are shocking. Especially the amount of sugar that young people consume these days. To make them aware of this, Janny gives the teenagers from year 4 HAVO at the Alkwin College in Uithoorn a lesson in reading labels. And she shows how to make a delicious mayonnaise, without sugar.

Every day we make dozens of choices when it comes to food, but how consciously do we actually make those choices? In addition to taste and smell, there are many more factors in our environment that determine our choices. Janny investigates how exactly that works. Does Janny enjoy her plate of kale with a view of a tropical beach just as much? And at the Lowlands festival, Janny discovers whether you can steer people towards healthier and more sustainable choices by changing the environment.