Fool Your Body Full

Eating Strong Smelling Foods May Aid Weight Loss & Portion Control

It’s been established that eating food in smaller bite sizes is linked to feeling full faster (is this something Cher Horowitz also taught us?). Now new research shows that you are more likely to eat smaller bite sizes when eating food with a strong aroma, and that food aromas may be used as a means of portion control. 

Researchers fed test subjects a custard-like desert while directing different scents to their noses. The participant pushed a button to tell the server how much they wanted to eat. The stronger the smell, the smaller was their bite. Researchers believe that we unconsciously seek a certain level of flavor experience with each bite, and with stronger smelling food, a smaller bite is needed to achieve that amount of flavor. 

The study’s results suggest that manipulating a food’s odor could diminish an eater’s intake by 5 to 10 percent per bite. Combining aroma control with portion control, scientists believe we may be able to fool the body into thinking that it’s full with a smaller amount of food. Hello weight loss. But is this going to lead to some disturbing new fad diet of garlic and blue cheese?


Source: BioMed Central Limited (2012). How the Smell of Food Affects How Much You Eat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321094137.htm
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Published 7/12/2012

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