We all know our senses are powerful things. Any decent chef realizes the pleasure of a dish is influenced at least as much by other senses as it is by taste. Sight, smell, texture, even sound impact our experiences with food.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much satisfaction is available from food without ever tasting it?
I remember distinctly standing in a bakery a few years ago and realizing I didn't want to eat any of the beautiful treats on display. I was completely satisfied by their pleasing appearance and heavenly aroma. Prior to that day I had operated under the belief that wanting a food, in this case a baked good, meant I wanted to eat the food. What I learned that day was that what I actually wanted was to experience the food and that I could experience it to total satisfaction without even eating it.
I recently read an article in TIME entitled The Surprising Way to Resist the Lure of Junk Food. A series of experiments were done that showed that smelling a food for at least two minutes can actually diminish our desire for it. They pumped scents into a variety of environments and monitored which foods were purchased. Their findings suggest, "...that a delicious smell can pique a craving, but over time it can also be enough to satisfy it." This squares perfectly with my experience at the bakery and with the impact of the practice of slowing down with food that I've talked about repeatedly.
The take away? Let's take the time to be fully aware of how a food can satisfy us. As we appreciate foods using ALL our senses, our relationship with food can become more fulfilling than it's ever been.