A new study explains how taking your time when eating and proper breathing actually enhances food taste.
The Huffington Post reports researchers have discovered that the structure of the back of our mouths makes way for stronger food aroma if we breathe slowly and quietly when eating.
According to experts, we're missing out the complete experience if we shove the food down our throats right away.
"It confirms that there is a pathway for volatiles from the mouth to the nasal cavity for stimulating smell while there is food and drink in our mouths, of which we are totally unconscious (we erroneously think it is due to taste in the mouth)," Dr. Gordon Shepherd, co-author of the study and professor of neuroscience at Yale University told The Huffington Post in an email. "It provides new evidence to help us understand what happens when we eat and drink."
For the study, the researchers created models of a human mouth, throat and nasal cavities using a 3D printer to study the person's airflow when eating.
They found out that volatiles, which are food molecules that collect at the back of the mouth, are carried by exhaled air to the nasal cavity. This is how olfactory receptor neurons of the nose can detect the scent.
"This mechanism is the strongest if we eat slowly and breathe smoothly," explained study's lead author Dr. Rui Ni, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State University. "In contrast, if we eat fast and breathe heavily when we are in a rush, we cannot taste much of the food because we are wasting a lot of food volatiles by inhaling them into the lung."
In conclusion, "food smells and tastes better if you take your time," according to Ni.
This study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science last week.
