In a bid to give vegans some respite, a professor of experimental psychology recently unveiled a wearable patch infused with bacon flavour that is supposed to help curb meat cravings.
This 'plaster' saves vegetarians from craving for meat
Life must be so unbearable for vegetarians in this era where meat and fish are being cooked almost every time and place and their aromas engulfing the atmosphere.
According to Odditycentral.com, Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, teamed up with plant-based food company Strong Roots to create a patch that, when scratched, produces a smell similar to that of cooked bacon.
Reports say the idea behind this strange invention is that the human mind is connected to our senses of taste and smell and that certain smells can significantly reduce food cravings.
“Studies have shown that scent can reduce food cravings. Our sense of smell is strongly connected to our ability to taste therefore experiencing food-related cues such as smelling a bacon aroma, can lead us to imagine the act of eating that food. Imagine eating enough bacon and you might find yourself sated,” Prof. Spence is quoted as saying.
Dubbed the world’s first meat patch, Spence’s weird creation is supposed to be worn like a nicotine patch, only instead of slowly releasing nicotine into the wearer’s body, it’s supposed to be scratched for an instant olfactory dose of bacon.
The patch is not for vegans only but also, lifelong meat-eaters who intend to go vegan but struggling with cravings.
The meat patches are currently undergoing trials in UK cities like London, Liverpool and Leeds, but plant-based food company Strong Roots claims that the innovative product will become more widely available soon, according to Odditycentral.com.
A Strong Roots spokesperson has reportedly assured that the patches will be effective in helping people abstain from eating actual bacon.
“It’s Veganuary and we know that more people than ever are trying to adopt a plant-based lifestyle this year,” Samuel Dennigan, the founder of Strong Roots, said. “However, the research shows just how many of them struggle with their resolution, so we wanted to offer a helping hand, and have developed the world’s first-ever meat-patch. We hope it goes some way to supporting all the meat-a-holics out there.”
While Professor Spence and Strong Roots appear confident in the new meat patches, regular users are much more sceptical.
“If I can smell bacon I’ll want to eat bacon – it’s very simple,” 45-year-old Graham Innes told The Telegraph. “I’m not going to be satisfied with a cheese sandwich when I can smell bacon coming from the patch – it might work for some, but it would never work for me, I’d be down the nearest cafe for a bacon roll.”
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