IT'S THE COLOR THAT COUNTS WITH SENIOR CITIZENS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993                   TAG: 9302020182
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Toni Burks
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long
IT'S THE COLOR THAT COUNTS WITH SENIOR CITIZENS
It's the color of food, not the taste, that counts when people age, according to a new study by the food-science department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
University researchers gave college students and senior citizens a series of fruit-flavored beverages to study the impact of aging on the tastebuds. In one series of drinks, the color stayed the same, but the flavor changed, from weak to strong.
Generally, the college students correctly pinpointed the flavor differences; the tasters over 60 could not.
In another series of drinks, the flavor stayed the same, but the color changed from light orange to bright red. In this test the senior citizens said that the darker the color, the stronger the flavor. College students, on the other hand, found no difference in flavor.
Now that could mean that college students are actually learning something from all their high-priced courses. But more likely it shows that "as the sense of flavor decreases [with age], the sense of sight is used to compensate," says professor Fergus Clydesdale, head of the university's food science department.
Food manufacturers should take note, Clydesdale says. To cater to the aging population, companies may want to consider making food more colorful as well as easier to chew and digest. After all, if you can't enjoy food, says Clydesdale, "there's no point living to be 100." - The Washington Post
\ QUICK AND SWEET Fruit desserts cook a whole lot faster when you skip the baking step. This 10-minute, crisp-in-a-skillet lets you do just that. Sizzle some saucy canned fruit on the stove, then sprinkle with crunchy granola. For serving tableside, grab a potholder and some ice cream.\
Skillet fruit dessert
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsps. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 16-oz. can pear slices (juice pack), drained
1 16-oz. can peach slices (juice pack)
3/4 cup granola with cinnamon and raisins
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)
In medium skillet over medium heat, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add pear slices and undrained peach slices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Sprinkle granola over fruit mixture in skillet. If desired, top each serving with ice cream or whipped cream. Makes 6 servings. - Associated Press
\ YOU EAT 50 TONS Researchers estimate that the average male eats 50 tons of food during his lifetime. That doesn't include the other 10 tons which ends up on his shirts.
Knight-Ridder/Tribune
\ WINTER SALAD This sizzling chicken salad will warm you up in no time. You keep the fat minimal by broiling the chicken and shaking together a juice-based sesame dressing. Oriental noodles add a crunch, but check the label to see that you're buying the air-dried noodles, rather than the higher-fat fried kind. Toss the uncooked noodles into the salad and let the dressing soften them.

Oriental chicken salad
Nonstick spray coating
2 whole chicken breasts (12 ounces), skinned, boned and halved lengthwise
3 Tbsps. sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 tsps. grated gingerroot
5 cups coarsely chopped mixed greens (spinach, romaine, Chinese cabbage, and-or leaf lettuce)
3 cups assorted vegetables (fresh bean sprouts; fresh pea pods, stringed and halved crosswise; and/or julienne strips of cucumber)
1 cup coarsely chopped red cabbage
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 3-oz. pkg. Oriental noodles with chicken flavor
1 recipe Oriental salad dressing
2 tsps. sesame seeds
Spray rack of broiler pan with nonstick coating. Place chicken breasts on rack. Stir together soy sauce and gingerroot; brush onto chicken. Broil 4 inches from heat 12 to 15 minutes or until no pink remains, turning once and brushing with soy mixture. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-size strips; set aside.
In a large salad bowl toss together mixed greens, assorted vegetables, red cabbage and green onions. Break uncooked noodles into small pieces and add to salad (reserve seasoning packet for another use). Pour about 1/2 cup of the dressing over salad; toss to coat. Spoon salad onto 4 dinner plates. Top each with 1/4 of the chicken; drizzle remaining dressing over chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Makes 4 main dish servings.
Oriental salad dressing: In a screw-top jar, combine 1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, 1/4 cup rice vinegar or white vinegar, 1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium\ soy sauce, 2 tsps. sugar, 1 1/2 tsps. sesame oil and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cover\ and shake well to mix. Makes about 2/3 cup.
- Associated Press
\ DO IT YOURSELF In a recent University of California, Davis, study, 80 percent of the women who lost weight and kept it off for two years or longer didn't follow organized weight-loss plans. They just adopted diet ideas from various sources according to their own tastes and needs. - Los Angeles Times

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB