How snack foods TEMPT YOUR TASTEBUDS (AND TRICK YOUR BRAIN)

Foods high in salt, sugar and fat don’t just taste good, they also activate the reward centres of our brains. Food technologists then further manipulate these taste preferences so that you find it hard to stop eating.

Here are some of the tricks they use – watch out for them when you are making food choices:

THE BLISS POINT:

This is a balance of sugar, salt and fat that makes a food such as salted caramel ice-cream so difficult to resist because it so intensely lights up the pleasure centres of the brain, making you want to come back for more and more.

FLAVOUR BURST:

The aim is to create an intense flavour at the front of the mouth that quickly fades, so that you want to get the taste back again quickly by taking another bite and then another.

MOUTH FEEL:

This usually comes from the fat in the food we eat. Companies aim to create products that have an appealing texture but also feel like they melt in your mouth. As you don’t chew the food very long, you don’t feel full, which is why you can eat a huge packet of chips or block of chocolate and still not feel sated. Your brain is tricked into thinking that you have barely eaten so it doesn’t release the usual hormones that would signal “I’m full”.

ADDED COLOURS:

Food colours are added to processed foods to make them appear more fresh and appealing – these visual cues can help increase cravings.

THE CRUNCH:

Food technologists aim to ramp up your satisfaction by ensuring you hear the food crunch as well as feel it. In fact the louder the crunch of a potato chip, the more crisp and fresh people think it is, US research shows.

FOOD ADVERTISING:

Just seeing an ad for a chocolate bar or burger while watching your favourite show can start a salivation process in your mouth, making you feel instantly hungrier and leading you to seek out that pleasure response even though you’re not hungry.