Smell has power. It’s a memory link that you may not be aware of. Ever smelt a specific scent and had a childhood memory come flooding back? Yep, everyone has. It’s a vital key in unlocking your nostalgia. It’s also a powerful marker for what you may be doing right or wrong. You can even tell if you’re quaffing far too much protein simply by the smell of your sweat. If your workout shirts always have a strong scent of ammonia – think bleach – then you may be overestimating your protein needs. All protein is eventually processed by your liver and excreted by the kidneys. When your body deals with amino acids, it produces ammonia then it changes the toxin to urea and mixes it with water. Just because it smells like bleach, doesn’t mean you smell like detergent. You don’t. You stink and need to do something. This example offers a jump off point to understanding how your nose can impact your health.
Smell in the air
If your nose is gently raised upward when you stroll past your favorite fast-food restaurant, it’s probably because you’re detecting the subtle tones of fat particles wafting through the local airwaves. Your sense of smell is so acute that it can detect how much fat is in a particular type of food, found research in the journal PLoS ONE. Your sense of smell is incredible at helping you through your everyday life choices. Far more than you probably give it credit for. Cinnabon know this. It’s the foundation of their business model. It’s why they waft the smells of their food into almost every mall in America. It’s also why you struggle to resist. Fortunately, by being aware of how your nose impacts your choices, you can make better dietary decisions.
A nose for action
People were less sensitive to tempting food odors thanks to the foods they’d just eaten, found a new paper in PLOS Biology. They found if you’d just eaten a freshly baked bread roll and walked past a bakery then you wouldn’t be as tempted to go in and buy a sugar bun. So, if you’ve just eaten something, then you’re less sensitive to the smell of it. Your body has got its fix and doesn’t prime you to want any more of it because that box has already been ticked. Does this mean you should eat more burgers to eat less burgers? Not quite but it’s worth noting that your smell can prompt you to make unhealthy choices.
Nasal solution
The solution is to make healthy alternatives to your usual favorites. You may want to get something like healthy pancakes or waffles to satisfy that urge to smash calorific platefuls of them. If you’re a lover of a specific kind of flavor, then try to get a healthy protein powder that best resembles that taste. You’ll regularly satisfy that smell craving and be less likely to indulge when you don’t want to. Your nose can have a big impact on you if you leave it unchecked. Make sure you figure out how to give it what it desires in the healthiest ways possible.
