Have you ever wondered why food eaten in a nice environment such as a fancy restaurant, tastes so good? Well, it could be more than just the food itself….. studies have shown that our posture impacts how we perceive the food that we’re eating at the time.
Studies into how the vestibular senses responsible for balance, posture and spatial orientation, work with the gustatory senses that affect taste and flavour; have shown that food tastes better when we’re sitting down.
When we’re standing up, it means that our bodies are working harder than when we’re seated, this puts extra stress on our bodies, dulling our taste buds and how much that we enjoy the food that we’re eating.
When we’re uncomfortable, foods that we always enjoy, don’t taste as good as they normally do. This means that if we’re eating, standing up whilst we’re on the go, food doesn’t taste as good as it does when we’re sitting down in a comfortable chair.
Food Doesn’t Taste As Good When We’re In A Poor Posture
Studies have also shown that we’re less likely to detect different qualities of food when we’re in poor postures. What this means is that if we eat when we’re standing up, we’re less likely to notice, unenjoyable aspects of food then when we’re sitting down in a comfortable environment.
This can make life a little easier for mums that are trying to give things to children that they don’t enjoy eating. This could include things such as medication or vegetables. Giving these items to them when they’re standing up may make them more likely to consume them than when they’re sitting down.
Studies have also found that adding extra stress to the body whilst a person is eating, also impacts upon the taste of the food. Those carrying heavy items and sampling a snack whilst they were on the go, don’t find it as tasty as those who sampled it whilst they were seated.
This means that if we want to get the maximum enjoyment and taste out of our food, we need to consider our posture.
Eating whilst we’re sitting down with our back supported in a comfortable chair is a good place to start. If you need any more advice as to how we can help you with your posture, you can press this link to make an appointment to see one of the Physios in our practices.