A recent study shows that when we aren’t paying attention to what we eat, we tend to eat more and even get hungry sooner. When we are distracted, we can’t remember how much we’ve eaten and memory is tied to satiety.
Researchers found that distracted eaters, who were playing computer solitaire, “felt significantly less full just after lunch. . . and at the taste-test session a half-hour later, they ate about twice as many cookies as those who had lunch without playing games.”
So, bringing this to our experience with drinking, if your desire is to moderate your drinking, are you paying attention to each sip and truly savoring it? A wine appreciation site lists the characteristics to notice and enjoy. Here are just a few of them-
- Acidity-is it tart? or flat or flabby?
- Aroma or Bouquet
- Balance
- Body – The body of a wine is the size or heft of it in your mouth.
- Bouquet – The bouquet is another term for the aroma of a wine. It is usually used to describe the smell of a wine which is complex, offering many different types of aromas.
- Creamy or Chewy- How it feels in your mouth
- Complex – This describes a wine which has a myriad of aromas and flavors.
- Dry/Sweet/Earthy
- Spicy/Sweet/Silky/Velvety
- Finish – The finish is the aftertaste of a wine.
- Floral/Herbal/Complex/Jammy
- Musty/Oaky/Oxidized?
This is just the start of noticing the wines that are in our mouths. There are other unique characteristics to appreciate about beers and specialty drinks and liquors.
If we take the time to notice the loveliness of how each sip looks, tastes and feels to our tongues, we will feel deep enjoyment and drink much less.
No more drinking in front of the TV or computer and email!
Look at your drink! Smell your drink! Feel it in your mouth and your throat! Enjoy it!
. . . and, you may just find that you are drinking less while enjoying it more!