Is it just me, or are diet aids getting more and more weird?
We’ve had chocolate you inhale. And now, the latest upcoming craze is crystals.
Tiny crystals that you sprinkle on your food. Doesn’t sound too appetising, does it?The crystals, called Sensa granules, enhance the smell of food, meaning that it tastes better (smell can count for up to 90% of what we experience as the “taste” of a food). They were developed by the neurologist Dr Alan Hirsch (from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago) back in 2008.
The Sensa website claims that:
By enhancing smell, Sensa Tastants were designed to help speed up the process and trigger your “I feel full” signal, so you eat less and feel more satisfied.
Sensa is currently on sale in America, costing $59 for a month’s supply of the crystals. Other countries are expected to start selling them soon. Dieters are enticed by the promise they can carry on eating exactly what they already eat, without counting calories or exercising: the only change is that they sprinkle Sensa crystals on every meal and snack.
Some experts, however, are skeptical about the use of Sensa as a diet aid. Dominic Dwyer (a neuropsychologist at Cardiff University in the UK) said the idea behind Sensa was sound, but warned:
A mouthwatering smell from food can simply make us eat more. This stuff would have to be very carefully used.
What do you think? Would you pay $59 a month to sprinkle tiny crystals on your food? Would you be satisfied with less food if it tasted really good?
I tried sensa. I used it for one day and had a bad reaction. I swelled up everywhere and my arms had hives. I did contact Sensa regarding this reaction but was told it must have been something else I came in contact with. I stopped using sensa right away . The first time I used it I did notice itching on my arms by the end of the day I was miserable. I took benadryl
and was fine .
That is bull, the last thing I need is my food tasting or smelling even better. I’d lose all hope then.
I have read about the crystal diet plse can you inform by return where i can purchase the crystal i would be much appreciated.
Abdul Gaffar Leicester UK
Just use spices instead. The above article sounds like a higher-priced version of some fancy spice mixes called “Sprinkle Thin”, or some such I read about awhile back. You can make your own.
Just make sure you avoid salt and MSG. Spices are much cheaper at bulk food stores.
For example:
Sweet: 2 parts cocoa and 1 part cinnamon
Spicy: 2 parts black pepper and 1 part cayenne pepper
Tangy: 2 parts Parmesan cheese and 1 part onion powder
While I don’t know if Sensa works, I have found that one of the principals behind it does….the more flavorful a food is, the sooner I become satisfied.
I like complex flavor conbinations, something that really goes “pow” in my mouth. Not really hot, just flavorful. And though I could eat these types of food in large quantities, I also find that controled portions when generous on flavor can satify me just as well.
Nope. Rip-off city! Who knows what’s actually in that stuff…it could be just salt or MSG or something. I could start sprinkling garlic salt on my ice cream and probably get the same effect.