Not having any luck with your current diet? Here’s an interesting piece of information that just might help. According to a recent study, people take smaller bites of foods with strong aromas. Now this may sound strange considering that the smell of food is what usually tempts you to eat in the first place, but this new research is saying that controlling your portions is just as significant a factor when it comes to weight loss.
In the study, researchers fed 10 volunteers through a pump that distributed a custard dessert into their mouths while another pump filtered varying levels of cream aroma to the back of their nose and throat. The participants, of course, had control over the size of their bites.
Following 30 trials, researchers saw a pattern emerge. Apparently, the stronger the aroma, the smaller the bites participants took. According to Rene de Wijk, a sensory scientist at Food & Biobased Research in the Netherlands, the smells they fed the participants weren’t even overwhelming. "Our concentrations were very low, hardly detectable," he states. "So the effect is quite subtle."
Smaller bites, apparently, allow you to savor and process your food faster, which then keeps a lid on the sensory experience of eating. In turn, this makes you feel fuller sooner, which naturally leads to less consumption. It’s not exactly a bulletproof diet plan, but it’s not something you should simply disregard either. Armed with this knowledge, you might want to take a good whiff of your food before you insist on ordering more than you can chew.
(Photo by Ed Yourdon via Flickr Creative Commons)
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