Want to Lose Weight? Listen to Yourself Eat

Want to Lose Weight? Listen to Yourself Eat

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report.

Restaurant chefs, home cooks, and foodies -- people who love good food -- often say that we eat with all of our senses.

First, we use our sense of sight to appreciate how a meal is presented, either on a dinner plate or a dining table. Our sense of touch can also be important when preparing or sharing food.

Next, with our sense of smell, we breathe in the mouth-watering aromas¹ rising up from the meal. Finally, we enjoy and perhaps even savor² the food with our sense of taste.

But what about our sense of hearing? Does sound also affect our dining experience?

A new report answers, ‘yes,’ it does.

That answer comes from researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University in the United States. They found that hearing is important in the eating experience.

Hearing is often called “the forgotten food sense," says Ryan Elder.

Elder is an assistant professor of marketing³ at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management. He says that if people notice the sound the food makes as they eat it, they might eat less.

On the other hand, watching loud television or listening to loud music while eating can hide such noises. And this could lead to overeating.

For the study, the researchers wanted to test whether the sounds of eating – chewing, chomping⁵ and crunching⁷ – had any effect on how much a person ate.

During the experiments, the test subjects wore headphones and listened to noise at either a high or low audio level. Then researchers gave them a crunchy snack: pretzels. The study found that subjects who listened to the higher volume noise ate more pretzels than those with the low audio levels.

Elder says that when hiding the sounds of eating, like when you watch television or listen to loud music while eating, we take away the sense of hearing. And this may cause you to eat more than you would normally.

The researchers are calling this, the "crunch⁶ effect."

The researchers admit that the effects may not seem like much at one meal. But over a week, a month, or a year, all that food can really add up.

But besides not overeating, there is another upside.

Hearing the noises of your meal as you eat, could help you to be more mindful of the experience and perhaps help you to enjoy it more.

The researchers reported their findings in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

Words in This Story

appreciate – v. to understand the worth or importance of (something or someone) : to admire and value (something or someone)

mouth-watering – adj. having a very delicious taste or appealing smell <a mouth-watering aroma> <mouth-watering food>

aromas – n. a noticeable and usually pleasant smell

yummy – adj. very pleasing to the taste

savor – v. to enjoy the taste or smell of (something) for as long as possible

sensory⁸ – adj. of or relating to your physical senses

cue – n. a feature indicating the nature of something perceived

on the other hand - phrase used to present factors that are opposed or that support opposing opinions

chew – v. to use your teeth to cut food into small pieces before you swallow it

chomp⁴ – v. to chew or bite on something

crunch – v. to chew or press with a crushing noise

upside – n. a part of something that is good or desirable : an advantage or benefit

1 aromas   

n.芳香( aroma的名词复数 )；气味；风味；韵味

参考例句：

• Intoxicating earth aromas induced lassitude and ethereal calm. 泥土的醉人的芳香叫人懒洋洋的，感到一种远离尘世的宁静。 来自辞典例句
• Nose and elegant nose with attractive fruity, floral and citrus fruit aromas. 芳香：优雅、馥郁、迷人的柑橘属水果的果香及花的清香。 来自互联网

2 savor   

vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味

参考例句：

• The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
• His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 chomp   

v. （人、动物进食时）大声地咬，嚼得很响

参考例句：

• I lost a tooth while chomping on a French baguette!我啃法棍面包时，崩掉了一颗牙！
• They just chomp on tundra, nap a few hours and feast again.它们只是在苔原上大嚼特嚼，睡上几小时，接着再吃。

5 chomping   

v.切齿，格格地咬牙，咬响牙齿( chomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Elizabeth and Lawrence are chomping at the bit to go on vacation. 伊莉莎白和劳伦斯迫不及待要去度假了。 来自互联网
• She was chomping away on a bagel. 她在嘎蹦嘎嘣地啃着一个硬面包圈。 来自互联网

6 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

7 crunching   

v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。