Dessert stomach — we’ve all experienced it, but may not know it had a name. You eat a satisfying dinner, feeling full to the brim, but when the question “Who wants dessert?” is asked, you're the first one to raise your hand. It’s true…..we always have room for dessert, no matter how much we’ve eaten. Believe it or not, there’s a scientific reason why we always make room for the sweet stuff. It's because of something known as sensory-specific satiety. Satiety is essentially the quality of being full and sensory-specific refers to a combination of the taste, appearance, smell and texture of whatever you’ve been eating or are about to eat. It develops as a result of chemicals that stimulate the brain’s reward center, producing pleasurable feelings when you eat. Those feelings gradually decline as you continue eating. So, while you might lose your appetite for that food, a different food will be appealing. That’s why you always have room for dessert. So, there you have it. Chemicals tell you that “new food” is interesting and good and you should eat it at the exact same time that they’re telling you that food you’ve already eaten is boring, and you've had enough of it. Now, who wants pie?
