When it comes to food, we really should use our noodle.
But we should keep in mind that everyone's noodle is different. That's what we digested from a chat with University of Newcastle molecular nutritionist Emma Beckett.
Dr Beckett uses her noodle a lot. But whether she likes eating noodles and how her body reacts to noodles partly comes down to her genes.
You can learn more about this when she features in an online event called Science in Practice, which the university is holding this week to mark National Science Week.
As part of the event, Dr Beckett will host discussions on themes such as the science behind feeding the world and understanding your unique relationship with food.
Dr Beckett studies how individuals respond differently to food "based on what their DNA is, where we live and how we live".
"When it comes to the genetics of food, we get finger-waggy and forget that people are different," she said.
"With all the differences we can see on the outside, we all have our own unique versions of the genes for how we taste and metabolise food and how we deposit muscle and fat."
While one particular diet works for one person, it may not work for another.
"We blame people for individually being lazy or not committed enough to healthy eating when really the genes we have for weight gain and fat deposition can explain six, seven, even 13 kilos of weight difference between two people," she said.
"So it's not necessarily just about willpower and personal changes, but who we are individually changes all those attributes."
Future Food
The food industry faces big challenges in future, amid concern about factory farming, junk food, waste and world hunger.
"When people think of the food industry, they do think of Big Food and junk food and damaging or unethical farming practices," Dr Beckett said.
"Those are really the minority of the roles that science plays in the food industry. But food science can play a big part in solving those problems."
She said there was "science at every single step of the food chain".
"Whether it's breeding crops or choosing the right crops or animals for the soils or environment, right through to product development," Dr Beckett said.
There's science in food safety, new products, consumer science and nutrition.
Much of the current research is about "finding ways we can be just as productive without having to cross any ethical lines or without having environmental impacts".
"How can we get to zero waste, take the waste products and turn them into something? And how can we reduce the water and land use and all that environmental impact."
The university's world-class experts have developed online experiences, virtual exhibitions and presentations for the free event, which is open to the public.
Event topics include vegetables of the sea, the science behind feeding the world, the SMART (Science Maths and Real Technology) science show, understanding your unique relationship with food, and brain and biomes.
When it comes to food, we can all probably agree that eating dagwood dogs isn't a great idea. Noodles, though, are OK.
Register for the event at newcastle.edu.au/science-in-practice.
