Have you had a nice meal, but your belly is full after the main course? Then there is always a dessert. It seems like we have a loose stomach for desserts. And that’s true, sort of. We explain.
Expansion of the stomach wall
Our stomach acts like a balloon. If the stomach is empty, it is not that big. When we eat and drink, turn it off. How far the stomach can expand depends on the pressure in the abdomen and how far the stomach wall can expand. 2 Norwegian scientists have researched this. They came up with 3 factors that cause a stomach to expand. This happens when you see and smell food, what other food is already in the stomach and the duodenum plays a role. This information is sent to the brain, which in turn sends a signal to the stomach to relax. Many desserts contain sugar or glucose. This has the same effect on the stomach; it relaxes the stomach.
Also read: Is it healthy to eat dessert every day?
Thinking about dessert
Marieke de Witt, dietician and lifestyle coach at Food Group Utrecht says to Women’s Health that just thinking about sweet food causes the stomach to relax. “You thought you were full from your plate of hot food, but the relaxation of the stomach ensures that the dessert always fits. You just have to think about it.” And thus actually ‘creates’ a dessert stomach. She also says that from infancy, our bodies love sweet and fatty foods. “As a baby you are fed milk, which consists of sugar and fat. A special combination from nature and intended to allow an infant to grow quickly.”
Also read: Where does the dessert come from?
Sensory Saturation
Earlier in 2022, Anouk Hendriks of Maastricht University investigated why we always have room for dessert. “There is an explanation for this and it’s called sensory satiety,” she tells MAX’s Nieuwsweekend on NPO Radio 1. While eating, you become satiated by sensory characteristics such as taste, texture and smell. “The food will bore you a bit. That makes you think you are full, but when the dessert comes on the table, you still have room for it because it has a different taste and texture.”
Conclusion
Several factors play a role in why we always have room for dessert. Our stomach lining expands just thinking about dessert. We are conditioned with sweets from an early age. And the different taste and texture of a dessert makes our stomachs like to make room for something extra. Have you got an appetite for dessert? Take a look at our various dessert recipes.
(Source: RTL Nieuws, Willem-Wever, Women’s Health, NPO Radio 1. Photo: Shutterstock)