Touch is such an important part of eating that it would be impossible to eat without it.
Sensual Eating, Outside the Mouth
Touch is present in eating in many ways. The sense of touch informs us from the moment we reach for a fork (or, if eating finger food, the moment we reach for the food itself). And the experience can be bad as well as good. For example, if you are trying to cut into food with a fork that digs into your finger, guess what? Your enjoyment will be less.
Prior to taking a bite, you will be aware of other touch-based information. You will feel a food's weight--a bite of dark chocolate is heavier than a kernel of popcorn. A spoonful of peanut butter weighs more than a spoonful of rice.
Sensual Eating, Inside the Mouth
Of course, touch tells us about the texture of food once we begin to eat it. Here are some possibilities, with an example of each:
- Smooth (yogurt)
- Bumpy (cracker)
- Creamy (pudding)
- Grainy (hummus)
- Gritty (some nuts; also noticeable in pears)
- Chewy (dried fruit)
- Crunchy (snack chips)
- Crumbly (coffee cake, certain kinds of cheese)
Temperature also is an important piece of information to the brain. Foods taste different depending on their temperature, and their textures change as well (think of a cold hunk of cheese versus the same cheese heated and melted).
Further, touch helps us to push food to the various parts of our mouths for chewing and to orient it so that we can swallow.
Recommendations: Make sure your food is at the right temperature to allow you to enjoy it--no half-heated food!
