Your poor sweet tooth: It's always the scapegoat for why you can't
pass up those melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bars. And while it's not off
the hook—taste (sweet versus sour, bitter versus savory) does draw us to
certain not-so-saintly foods—another factor can mess with your weight: a
food's texture, or the way it
feels as you sip, chew, and swallow.
Think of the sensations you get when your fingertips touch cashmere,
or sandpaper, or a baby's skin. Well, the tongue can compete—it's among
the most finely tuned sensory organs in the body and can detect
teeny-tiny differences in texture, says Paul Breslin, Ph.D., a professor
in the department of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University and a
member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center.
The problem is, we don't just notice texture—we may crave it.
Texture can spur us to shovel down snacks when we're not hungry or to
zero in on the greasiest menu option without even realizing it. How to
win? Learn how to get in touch with your food.
Slippery Slope
You might love being slim, but your brain adores the feel of fat.
MRI-scan research conducted at the University of Oxford in the U.K.
shows that fat's oily sensation in the mouth lights up the orbitofrontal
cortex, a part of the brain that registers pleasantness and, in turn,
may drive the urge to eat more.
Compare fat's nine calories per gram with the four calories per gram
for both proteins and carbohydrates, and you'll realize why this is
dangerous if you're trying to shed pounds.
There
is a solution—and, luckily, it's not to ban fat from
your plate entirely. To your tongue, a little fat goes a long way. "If
you have a zero-fat food, it's not going to taste good at all," says
Breslin. "But up it to just 1 percent and it feels much better and still
has far less than a full-fat product would."
In the Thick of It
If you've been through thick and thin—physically—it might have something
to do with thick and thin food textures. Research shows that
viscosity—how easily something flows—is a factor in the texture wars.
"The more runny or soft a product is, the less contact it has with the
taste system," says Kees de Graaf, Ph.D., a professor of sensory science
and eating behavior at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Call it a speed trap: The faster you can suck something down, the
less signaling to the gut and brain, and the more you're likely to gulp
in one go. In a study, people given a yogurt drink to sip through a
straw consumed, on average, 22 percent more than those who had the
yogurt in its usual form. (So, one fix: Choose thicker foods!)
According to De Graaf, many modern food products are engineered to be
eaten quickly (that's "convenience," right?)—another reason to limit
factory-made foods and head to the produce aisle.
Getting Emotional
Texture can also bring on a binge for "emotional eaters"—those
who overindulge out of boredom, sadness, or anxiety—since certain
feelings directly relate to the particular foods they ache for.
"When people are angry, they tend to go for something crunchy, like
chips," says disordered-eating expert Denise Lamothe, Psy.D., author of
The Taming of the Chew.
(It's the eating equivalent of tensing up or grinding your teeth.) "And
when they need consolation or are bored, they'll want something creamy
and smooth, like ice cream." It's a psychological, rather than strictly
biological, link, like slamming a door out of rage or wrapping yourself
in a fluffy blanket for comfort.
Don't consider yourself an emotional eater but always find yourself
craving certain foods? Take a look at your nibbling patterns. You may be
shocked to see just how much texture compels your choices and points to
buried feelings, says wellness coach Linda Spangle, R.N., author of
100 Days of Weight Loss.
Spangle sees this happen with her clients all the time. "After an
argument, do you always head straight for the can of nuts and chomp away
till it's empty?" she asks. If you seek out soothing foods, ask
yourself if you're missing something like affection or appreciation.
When you pinpoint an emotion, the key is to handle it with something
other than a crackle or a slurp. Divert the habit with a list of
non-food-related things to do. "Exercise, take a bath, or call someone,"
suggests Lamothe. "Over time, you may be less likely to unknowingly
deal with your feelings through food."
And when you do eat the textures you love, slow things down. "Eating
with attention to the pleasure a food brings can help you eat less,"
says De Graaf. "Enjoy more, eat less."
