Tofu is not just for vegetarians anymore. It has grown in popularity and can be seen on many restaurant menus, from fast casual to fine dining. A new study, Dispelling Myths about a New Healthful Food can be More Motivating than Promoting Nutritional Benefits: The Case of Tofu, published in Eating Behaviors found that promoting tofu as an easy to prepare and affordable choice is most successful in moving people closer to trying the plant-based protein.
Researchers from Cornell University Food and Brand Lab investigated the various motivators versus challenges in adding a new healthy food to the diet. Interviews were conducted with nearly 600 young women – non-vegetarians and non-Asian – whom the researchers considered “future nutritional gatekeepers” for their families.
There were 21 main incentives (e.g. “Tofu is high in protein” and “Tofu is not made from genetically modified crops”) for trying tofu; and 10 barriers (e.g. “I don’t know how to prepare it”) that might be preventative. A key finding was that incentives were not major motivating factors for women adopting tofu into their diets; instead, instructing new users on how to prepare tofu was more persuasive.
The conclusions show nutritionists and health practitioners may be more successful in encouraging the adoption of healthy new foods by dispelling their misconceptions and addressing the obstacles to usage rather than focusing on their nutritional benefits.
Source: Soyfoods Association of North America
