|
|
Adding "Tastants" to Food May Promote Weight Loss
 Boosting the flavor of your
food with calorie-free seasonings and sweeteners may help you feel fuller
faster and decrease the amount you
eat, according to a U.S. study that
suggests this may be a new way to help people
lose weight.
"Tastants" -- are substances that can stimulate
the sense of taste. In a recent study which comprised of 2,436 overweight or obese people were asked
to sprinkle a variety of savory or sweet crystals on their food before eating
their meals. They used the salt-free savory crystals on salty foods and used
the sugar-free sweet crystals on sweet or neutral-tasting foods. The
participants didn't know what the flavors of the crystals were, other than
salty or sweet.
 The hidden flavors of the savory tastants were cheddar cheese,
onion, horseradish, ranch dressing, taco, and parmesan. The flavors of the
sweet tastants were cocoa, spearmint, banana, strawberry, raspberry and malt.
A control group of 100 people didn't use tastants. Both
groups continued their normal diet and
exercise habits during the study.
At the start of the study, the treatment group had an
average weight of 208 pounds and an average
body mass index (BMI) of 34, which
is considered obese. After six months of using the tastants, the 1,436 people
in the treatment group who completed the study lost an average of 30.5 pounds,
and their BMI decreased by an average of five points. In the control group, the average
weight loss was two
pounds, and the average BMI decrease was 0.3.
Possible reasons for successful weightloss could be:
-
 The people in the treatment group may have lost more weight
than those in the control group, because the tastants made them feel full
faster, and they ate less, suggested study author Dr. Alan Hirsh, founder and neurologic director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in
Chicago.
-
Another possibility is that the tastants improved the
flavor of bland but healthy foods such as
tofu and some
vegetables, resulting
in healthier eating habits.
Sniff your food before you eat it. Chew it a lot. Choose
low-calorie foods and season them.
There are a whole host of reasons why tastants would work, but
the best hypothesis is that these powerful smells and tastes acted to enhance
sensory-specific satiety. They send messages to the brain that say "I'm
full.".
Related Links
|
|
|
|
|
