A NEW WEIGHT LOSS SECRET: FEED YOUR SENSES!
Just cut down on calories and move more—it’s the standard suggestion for losing weight. But what if a not-so-straightforward solution could also help you lose weight? What if transforming calorie-counting into “sense-filled” dining could up your odds of eating less, and in turn, decrease odds of weight gain?
— By Deborah Kesten and Larry Scherwitz —
Whether it’s the scent of freshly brewed coffee, cookies baking in the oven, or warm, toasted garlic bread, delightfully scented food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Recent research reveals there’s even more to the aroma of food than the smile it brings: scintillating scents in some foods may help you stay slim.
What do we mean by “scintillating scents” as a path to eating and weighing less? Simply put, it means eating with your senses by focusing on the scent and aroma (smell) of food, but also the taste (flavor), sight (presentation), sound (of the surroundings), and texture and touch (kinesthetic) may be a powerful way to go for weight loss. And we know that eating with a “sense-filled sensibility” matters to your waistline, because our original research revealed that those who eat with their senses are less likely to overeat and gain weight.1,2 (See “Nourish Your Senses, Lose Weight” for more about this, and “The Weight Loss Power of Mindfulness.”)
What’s especially fascinating is this: With the release of recent research, scent is taking the lead in the sense-filled dining/weight loss story.
Olive Oil: A Key to Weight Loss?
One of the first clues that aroma in food can play a part in eating less emerged just last year when Dutch scientists discovered that intensely scented food seems to prompt people to take much smaller bite sizes and consume less throughout the meal.3 Now a groundbreaking study has taken the Dutch study a step further: researchers in Germany have linked an aroma—specifically, the scent of olive oil—to eating and weighing less.
Olive oil. It’s the crown jewel of the Mediterranean diet—long linked with many health benefits—from reducing the risk of heart disease,4 diabetes,5 osteoporosis,6 blood pressure,7 even breast cancer8 and weight gain.9 With the latest findings about its aroma, the elixir that is olive oil promises yet other advantages: not only does extra virgin olive oil increase your sense of satiety, its aroma, too, may help you stay slim.10
Part I: The Olive Oil-Satiety Link
To make the amazing connection between the scent of olive oil and feeling full, researchers from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry first set out to discover if there were any appetite-suppressing—or –enhancing properties in four different fats: lard, butter, olive oil, and canola oil.10 To find out, they recruited 120 people who were split into five groups. Every day for three months, four groups added about two cups of yogurt—enriched with one of four fats—to their daily diet, while the fifth (control) group ate plain, no-fat yogurt.
Throughout the study, the subjects were given blood tests, and in this way, the researchers discovered that those who ate the olive oil yogurt had the greatest increases in serotonin, a hormone that helps you feel full. And because the participants who consumed the olive oil-infused yogurt felt full, they adjusted their normal caloric intake by eating less—and this simple adjustment kept them from gaining weight. Not so for the canola and lard groups, however, who actually gained weight because they added the yogurt to what they were already eating each day. “You could see that those who felt really satiated reduced their total energy intake,” said Dr. Malte Rubach, a nutritional scientist who collaborated with colleagues on the study.10
Part II: The Aroma-Stay Slim Link
Though the olive oil-eat less link was illuminating, what particularly caught the attention of the researchers was that despite the similar nutrient properties in both olive and canola oil, those in the canola oil group gained both weight and body fat; those consuming olive oil didn’t. Might there be something other than the nutrients in the two oils that led to such different weight outcomes, wondered the scientists?
To find out, the researchers designed a simple study comprised of two groups given nonfat yogurt—but with one difference: the yogurt in one of the groups was mixed with an aroma extract infused with the scent of olive oil. Surprisingly, this one small change made a huge difference in the outcome. Not only did the plain yogurt group show lower serotonin levels— a so-called satiety hormone that makes us feel full—they also experienced less satiety after eating the yogurt. And they didn’t adjust their caloric intake and therefore consumed, on average, 176 more calories daily.
Meanwhile, those in the olive-oil scented group reduced their caloric intake from other foods, plus their glucose tolerance tests revealed more balanced blood sugar levels. And this matters a lot when it comes to overeating and weight gain, because abrupt swings in blood sugar drive how hungry or satiated you feel. As fascinating, the researchers attributed such stay-slim benefits to a particular aroma that’s abundant in Italian olive oils. Called hexanal, this compound is said to be similar to the scent of freshly cut grass.
Feeding Your Senses: The Missing Ingredient in Meals
Imagine. Just the smell of olive oil can have a powerful effect on the appetite—so much so that it can help you feel full and cut calories. But there’s even more to the scent-stay slim mystery, for it suggests there’s much more to food, weight, and the experience of eating than the calories-in, calories-out formula. Dr. Rubach explains it this way: “This is the first time where we’ve really looked at the effects that things other than fatty acids, protein and carbohydrates have on satiety. Everything that completes our impression of a meal can have an impact [ital, ours].” In other words, “…the physiological impact of a meal is not limited to what (you) can see on the plate [ital., ours].”10
We agree—especially because our research revealed that the overeating style we call “sensory disregard” is a powerful predictor of overeating and weight gain, meaning, if you’re not savoring your food through your senses, you’re more likely to keep eating until you finally do feel a sense of satisfaction. Indeed, we believe sensory disregard may be one of the most overlooked aspects of overeating and ensuing weight gain. With this in mind, we’re especially intrigued by Rubach’s research, because it is the first study to confirm that aroma, alone, may have the power to regulate appetite, and in turn, be a key tool for overcoming overeating.
Sense-Filled Dining
Here, some suggestions for turning meals into soul-satisfying, sense-filled adventures (see “The Weight Loss Power of Mindfulness”) for more about this):
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil (grass-scented, if available) on a fresh salad made with lots of fresh veggies…
…or on warmed, whole-grain rustic bread…
…or in a serving of your favorite plain, unsweetened yogurt.
Appreciate food before you by pausing for a moment before eating. Be grateful for the life-giving gift inherent in food.
Identify colors of the plate, the utensils, the food.
Focus on scent in food. Do you like it? Does it remind you of anything? Is it whetting your appetite, so you’re anticipating that first mouthful?
Savor flavors. Does the food taste sweet? Sour? Bitter? Salty? Astringent? Pungent?
Experience textures of the food—starting with the first bite.
Another option: Place a bottle—or bowl—of your favorite olive oil on the dining table. Inhale and savor the aroma before, during, and after eating.
A New Weight Loss Secret: Feed Your Senses
The idea that “feeding your senses” when you eat may help you stay slim may seem somewhat unusual. After all, the seemingly simple calories in/calories out formula has been the standard solution to weight loss that most health professionals offer: just cut down on the amount of food you eat and move more, and you’ll lose weight.
Eating with your senses, on the other hand, isn’t so straightforward. Rather, it requires you to replace calorie-counting with a relationship to food that includes appreciating the sense-filled delights—and stay-slim possibilities—inherent in your meals. In other words, take the time to nourish your senses each time you eat, and you may be taking a powerful step toward losing weight and keeping it off.
References:
- Larry Scherwitz and Deborah Kesten, “Seven Eating Styles Linked to Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity,” Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing 1, no. 5 (2005): 342–59.
- Deborah Kesten and Larry Scherwitz, Make Weight Loss Last: 10 Solutions That Nourish Body, Mind, and Soul, “Chapter 8: Feed the Senses,” (Amherst, MA: White River Press, 2012): 151-165.
- de Wijk RA, Polet IA, Boek W, Coenraad S, Johannes HF: “Food aroma affects bite size” Flavour (March 20, 2012): 1:3.
- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, et al, “Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet” N Engl J Med (2013); 368:1279-1290.
- de Lorgeril M, “Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with the Mediterranean diet: Diabetes Care, (2011) Jan; 34(1):14-9.
- Fernándex-Real JM, Lopez-Bermejo A, Roser C, et al, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 95:2560-2575, 2011.
- Perona JS, Cañizares J, Montero E, et al, “Virgin olive oil reduces blood pressure in hypertensive elderly subjects” Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct; 23(5):1113-21.
- Philip Cohen, “Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk,” New Scientist, 1/15/2005, Vol. 185 Issue 2482, p7.
- Razquin C, Martinez JA, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, et al, “A 3 years follow-up of a Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil is associated with high plasma antioxidant capacity and reduced body weight gain” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Dec; 63(12):1387-93. E pub 2009 Aug 26.
- Anahad O’Connor, “Is the Secret to Olive Oil in Its Scent?” The New York Times, HealthScience, March 29, 2013. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/is-the-secret-to-olive-oil-in-its-scent/
STAY CONNECTED
Related:
The Weight Loss Power of Mindfulness
Nourish Your Senses, Lose Weight
“Feed Your Senses” chapter in the book, Make Weight Loss Last
Next post:
Think outside the diet to make weight loss last with “A NEW STAY-SLIM SECRET? RESET YOUR GENES!” posted on our NewView blog.
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