Читать книгу Nutrition For Dummies - Carol Ann Rinzler - Страница 32

When you see appetizing food, you experience a conditioned response. (For the lowdown on how your digestive system can be conditioned to respond to food, see Chapter 14; for information on your food preferences, see Chapter 15.) In other words, your thoughts — “Wow! That looks good!” — stimulate your brain to tell your digestive organs to get ready for action.

What happens in your nose is purely physical. The tantalizing aroma of good food is transmitted by molecules that fly from the surface of the food to settle on the membrane lining of your nostrils; these molecules stimulate the receptor cells on the olfactory nerve fibers that stretch from your nose back to your brain. When the receptor cells communicate with your brain, your brain sends encouraging messages to your mouth and digestive tract as the sight and scent of food make your mouth water and your stomach contract in anticipatory hunger pangs.

What if you hate what you see or smell? For some people, even the thought of liver is enough to make them want to leave the room. At that point, your body takes up arms to protect you: You experience a rejection reaction. Your mouth purses, and your nose wrinkles as if to keep the food (and its odor) as far away as possible. Your throat tightens, and your stomach turns as muscles contract, not in anticipatory pangs but in movements preparatory for vomiting up the unwanted food. Not a pleasant moment.

But assume that you like what’s on your plate. Go ahead. Take a bite.