The Taste Connection
Though we often imagine our taste buds as the center of
taste perception, the human nose—not the
tongue—is the main organ of taste as well as smell.
While our taste buds help us to distinguish between
substances that are sweet, sour, bitter and salty, it is
our olfactory receptors (remember those five or six million
yellowish cells called the olfactory epithelium) that
distinguish all other "tastes."
Little wonder, then, that when we have a stuffy nose our
favourite foods seem to lack their delicious flavour.
Hence, if you're suffering from the symptoms of the "common
cold" and find yourself wondering why your beloved
out-of-the-way restaurant's food just doesn't taste up to
par, it may not be that the restaurant has changed chefs.
It may be instead that your plugged nose cannot smell the
complex blend of aromas that make up its "flavour."
While you may be already familiar with why your food lacks
its flavour when you are suffering from a cold, what you
may not know is that your ability to smell aromas has a
significant impact on your ability to lose weight. In "The
Use of Flavor to Enhance Efficacy of Reducing Diets," Susan
Schiffman claims that diets which are low in both flavour
variety and intensity are more apt to fail in the long run
than those with a wide variety and high intensity of
flavour because they fail to satisfy the basic needs of
overweight people—their need for flavour. It may be
that many overweight people don't necessarily crave fat;
they just have a "high flavour threshold." Individuals
seeking to lose weight should introduce a variety of foods
and flavour enhancers to their diets that will heighten
their sensory experiences.
Her study concludes that overweight individuals can become
satisfied with smaller quantities of food so long as they
receive the taste that they desire. Though we may have
eaten a nutritious meal, if it hasn't satisfied our "taste
buds," we may still feel hungry, claiming that our food
just didn't "hit the spot."
Your Metabolism, Appetite and Aromatic Food—the
Connection
Did you know that exposure to aromatic food has been shown
to contribute to the metabolism of foods that we eat? It's
true! Exposure to mouth-watering aromas, in fact,
increases our saliva production and stimulates our
digestive tracts which in turn encourages efficient
metabolism of the food we eat. In short, exposure to food
aromas actually increases our bodies' absorption of
nutrients.
Have you ever thought that you weren't hungry and then walk
into a bakery where fresh bread is baking and notice that
you instantly have an appetite? Or how many times have you
gone to the grocery store to pick up "a few items" and find
yourself putting a few freshly-baked croissants, muffins,
or buns into your basket as you walk past the bakery
section? It isn't just a coincidence that all hotdog
venders fry their onions beside a fan or an open
window—they want your business and they know how to
get it. Food aromas are simply Mother Nature's way of
ensuring that we receive our proper nutrients. Aromas from
savoury and sweet foods not only ensure the proper
metabolism of the foods we eat but they also ensure that we
eat.
But did you know that an over exposure to food can have the
opposite effect on our appetites?
It's true. While an exposure to foods can stimulate our
appetites, an extended exposure to foods can cause us to
lose our appetites. Simply speaking, an extended exposure
to various aromas may in itself satisfy our appetite for
food, even if we haven't had anything to eat!
How many of us can remember spending an entire morning in
the kitchen preparing for a large family meal only to find
that when we finally sit down to enjoy the benefits of our
hard work we no longer have an appetite? Bakers,
restaurant employees and individuals working in plants
where food is being prepared often experience this same
sensation and report that after a long shift they do not
feel as hungry as one would otherwise expect. In fact, the
last thing they feel like doing is eating.
So while a lack of exposure can make us forget to eat, an
overexposure can make us not want to eat. Where our noses
are concerned, it is possible to get too much of a good
thing.
Obviously, then, a proper balance should be sought. The
saying, "moderation in everything" holds true—even
for our sniffers.
Can smelling chocolate help us to control our sweet tooth?
The short answer—Yes! So, all you chocoholics who
want to curb your cravings should work a few shifts at your
nearest chocolate factory or become a food product
demonstrator for a chocolate manufacturer at your local
grocer. After a few shifts, chocolate will never again
look the same for the very same reason discussed above.
----------------------------------------------------
Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab,
a world leader in the development of innovative products
that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger
memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual
health. To learn more about enhancing your sex drive, go
to http://www.scentuellepatch.com
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