The smell, taste, texture and visual appearance of a food or preparation can determine our desires to consume it or not, but also, can influence its effect to calm our hunger, that is, can be a key factor in the process Of satiety. Today we tell you what is sausage sensory-specific and why it represents the reason why we can continue eating even when we are full.
What is sensory-specific satiety?
The sensation of satiety is one that we usually experience when our stomach distends and sends signals to the brain that nullify hunger, establishing the cessation of a meal and the space between this and another.
There are different types of satiety that we can identify and are determined by multiple factors of food. But a more complex satiety and in which different factors influence is the satiety sensory-specific.
This is not a new term, but already in 1981 its presence in humans was determined and it is described as a specific satiation for each food consumed, that is to say, we can be satiated of fruit but not of meat if we have not eaten this last food but yes first.
In this type of satiety is determinant the characteristics of the foods that stimulate our senses, because these are the ones that produce satiety activating zones of the brain, according to a study published in Neuroreport.
Due to the specificity of the satiety according to each food and the influence of the sensorial characteristics of the same is that this type of satiety is called satiety sensory-specific .
In practical terms we could say that we can satiate a food that we are consuming or have eaten but before the stimuli of other foods or dishes with different taste, aroma, appearance or texture, we can feel hungry again or we can consume it without feeling satiety for that concrete preparation .
How sensory-specific satiety can affect us
If we consider that only a new flavor, aroma or the presence of a different ingredient in the dish already represents a change in a preparation, it can allow us to ingest again, even if previously we felt satiated before the consumption of the same dish without that “change”.
It has been shown that humans are more likely to seek sensory changes than modifications in non-sensory aspects. For this reason, a change of taste, aroma or appearance may attenuate the satiety that a food produces.
Thus, a research published in Physiology & Behavior found that the mere addition of tomato sauce or mayonnaise to fried potatoes encouraged their consumption, meaning that sensory-specific satiety can make us eat more if we vary the dish or simply add condiments and / Or sauces to what we have already eaten.
That is, even when we think we are full of chips, we can continue eating if we add tomato sauce to them, and when we are full of these, if we add mayonnaise again we can continue with their intake. Sensory-specific satiety is the reason why we can continue eating as much as we are full.
A lower satiety product of the variety in the same food or the constant intake of new foods that may be exposed in our environment, can lead to a greater weight and percentage of body fat, as scientists in Australia have shown. On the contrary, minor changes or lower diversity in a meal would lead to a higher satiety and not to continue eating “new” foods even when we are full.
Specifically, satiety sensory-specific can lead to eating without hunger, beyond the need to obtain nutrients and energy, because before new flavors, aromas, appearances and / or textures, it is possible to continue eating.
A varied diet, prompts us to eat more?
We always promote the benefits of a varied diet to guarantee the presence of all kinds of nutrients that our body needs, however, considering that the more variety we eat the more, is this not advisable?
The reality is that the context here matters a lot, since the variety in the total diet is key, whereas the variety in a meal is not the same . That is, if we want to control the amount we eat, ideally, in each intake there are not a large number of dishes but a preparation or two at most.
In a single dish we can include a variety of ingredients that will offer great diversity of nutrients, but the flavor of this single dish will end up saciándos and we will have no more “different” alternatives in that food. However, we can vary in other meals on the same day and in later days the preparations.
The variety in the total of the diet is advisable, but not the great variety in the same food, because by the process of sensuous satiety, we will continue eating even full and we will achieve an overconsumption. Therefore, the free buffet pushes us to overeat.
On the other hand, the environment can greatly influence, since if we have a large amount of food in sight, we are likely to go for them even though we have already eaten and are full.
So, in addition to controlling meals, modifying the environment so that it does not encourage us to continue eating beyond the need or hunger is key if we do not want to fall into overconsumption.
As we can see, our organism has processes more complex than we imagine and the sensory-specific satiety that would be an advantage for our ancestors who did not always have food at their disposal today that we live surrounded by food stimuli can be a double-edged sword. Therefore, knowing what sausage is sensory-specific and how we can control this process not to overeat is very useful to take care of health.
