I still remember it…
I dipped the tines of a fork into the chocolate mousse.
A tiny bit of the dessert hung from the ends of my utensil, only a few millimeters, but
I put it in my mouth and BANG.
The flavor!
The richness!
I'll never forget that moment, and now science knows why!
Hey, sweeties.
A 2013 survey of eating behavior found snacks are contributing more and more to the American
diet.
But, a 2014 study in Hepatology found snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods in-between
meals contributes to obesity and fatty liver!
Eating three meals a day has roots back to ancient Greece -- and snacking between those
meals can be unhealthy, especially when people completely forget about their meals in the
first place.
"How could you forget a meal," you cry!
Simple.
You're eating wrong.
When we eat certain things or in certain ways, our brains create 'food memories,' which live
in our episodic memory.
Episodic memory is part of long-term memory storage, part of the everyday autobiography
of our lives.
Episodic memories can be recalled at will, and are things like your wedding day and where
you were on 9/11, or maybe that great joke you shared with your roommate in college,
a car crash, or when you climbed that mountain, bungee jumped, or your first kiss!
According to a new study in the journal Hippocampus, eating sweet foods triggers that episodic
memory; and let me tell you, that chocolate mousse was a moment!
The researchers believe episodic memory could be used to control eating habits, because
when people eat absentmindedly, while watching TV or reading, they don't form food memories,
and we eat more than we should, or eat more often -- or we snack between meals.
A study in PLOS One from 2012 describes why this is: feeling hungry isn't just physical,
it's also mental!
They wanted to see if our perception of how much we ate changes how we feel about when
we eat again!
Their study showed people
specific amounts of soup 300 mL or 500mL and then, while they ate, covertly sucked soup
out of the participants bowls, or added some in!
Basically, people who thought they ate 500mL (but actually ate less) still felt fuller!
Whereas those who thought they'd eaten 300mL (but had actually eaten more) got hungry more
quickly.
We humans are big dumb animals, aren't we!
Our perceptions and our episodic 'food memories' have a huge impact on how and when we eat
and how hungry we feel.
So when you say, "no thanks, I had a big breakfast" according to these researchers from Hippocampus,
you are actually recalling your last episodic 'food memory' and determining if you're hungry!
Why do sweets trigger this?
I'm no evolutionary psychologist, but I'd guess it has something to do with finding
sugar in a natural environment being a rarity -- similarly to our affinity for salts and
fats.
So if creating a solid memory of a meal, will help us eat LESS, should we just eat a sweet
and remember we ate?
Not necessarily.
The researchers are using this as a platform for further research on episodic memory and
proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
If you're looking for guidance while they complete their research, simply be mindful
of your eating habits.
Research from 2011 in the journal Appetite found, when people were offered cookies, those
who were asked to think about the flavor, texture and smell of their food ate fewer
than those who were reading, and way less than those who were watching television.
And when offered more later, the television group ate more than the group who were asked
to consider their meals.
Nailing it home even more, the lead researcher on this study added the example of amnesic
patients.
They can't remember what they've just eaten, so if you bring them more food "they will
keep on eating!"
So, perhaps the key to forming a 'food memory' is to pay attention while eating, so you form
solid "food memories."
Then you'll feel fuller, eat less and manage a healthy diet.
And maybe end your meal with a tiny little sweet.
Just a little one.
Maybe.
What's your favorite dessert?
Tell me in the comments.
I love pecan pie.
It's…
OMG so good.