Turns out making room for dessert is completely natural

Turns out making room for dessert is completely natural

Did you know that your stomach expands when you eat sugar?

People seated at dining table eating desserts
People seated at dining table eating desserts/Pexels/@Надежда Мустафаева

It's that time of year again and we have to say that for some it is going to be a merry time and for others, it might be a time of resistance. 

We are talking about that time of year when families and friends come together and celebrate over a hearty and wholesome meal. 

One thing is for sure, the meals are not diet-friendly and may have people at their wit's end with deciding which day will be their cheat day. Saying no to dessert has been something that many people have conformed to because by the time they get to that sweet treat, they are full. 

This brings us to some very insightful research about food, in particular desserts. 

It seems for those who are trying so very hard to stay away from calorie-rich desserts, it's not solely your fault for choosing to give in and have dessert. It seems we are hard-wired to say yes and make room for dessert, even when our brains and stomachs say: "No more". 

"In fact, 'dessert stomach' is a scientific fact, and it's all because of something called sensory-specific satiety." (Daily Mail)

Basically, this term, sensory-specific satiety means "that the more you eat of something, the less you like it, which gives you the impression that you are full. You are, however, only sated with that particular taste, texture or flavour." (Daily Mail)

In other words, the food that once excited us bores us, which leads us to stop eating that particular food. But, dessert gives us the promise of a new flavour and therefore we are able to make room for dessert. 

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"In layman's terms, dinner is boring compared to the treat that is various ice creams, cakes, cookies, chocolate and lollies. And our brains recognise this and even override satiety signals (that 'full' feeling) for pleasure (i.e. dessert)." (Huffpost)

Watch this short snippet by Pubity on Instagram that explains it perfectly:

Image Courtesy of Pexels

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