The next sense on this refracted journey to a healthy lifestyle is the sense of sound. This will require you to listen closely through all the noise out there on weight loss. It’s hard to focus on what is true, sound advice.
I’ve heard there are companies that will provide recordings of binaural beats to help with weight loss. By using a pair of headphones, tones (sounds) are played separately in each ear. In theory, certain areas of the brain will be stimulated for various effects. I’m not totally convinced, however. As I’ve mentioned before, the human body is very complex.
I can buy into the possibility that certain sounds will have a relaxing effect and reduce stress — which happens to be one of my problems: being a stress eater. Stress will cause me to either eat too much or not enough. Neither are great for the balanced approach that’s really needed.
I believe my sense of sound does play a role in my weight loss. The sound of bacon cooking, hearing the snap of a carrot, or listening to someone crunching on chips makes my mouth water. This get the sense of taste revved up, making me hungry, so I need to be mindful of this.
Nevertheless, my reading tells me the sounds that I’m NOT hearing may be the problem. It seems listening to the sounds of what I’m eating is very important. Not listening to these sounds can cause me to consume more food than is really needed. It’s called “the crunch effect.”
I’ve mentioned that the sight, smell, taste, and touch (texture) of our food helps with being satisfied. I didn’t know the sound of food is just as important. It’s referred to as “the forgotten flavor sense.”
This seems logical to me. When I eat in front of the TV, I’m listening to what’s on and not listening to my food. I’m not concentrating and tend to eat more. This may explain part of the mindless eating phenomenon. I’m now thinking back: Do I tend to eat more in a noisy restaurant or is it better for me in a quiet place? This concept will definitely take more refracting.
Remember, the only “sound” advice you can get is from a healthcare provider.
However, I’m going to start listening more closely to my body. I never realized how complex I really am.
This is part 8 of the multipart series, “A SENSE-ble Look at Healthy Living.” In my next blog, we’ll look to the human sense of thermoception.
Missed the beginning of our journey through the human senses? Check out the rest of A SENSE-ble Look at Healthy Living.
