Today in counterintuitiveness: Nestlé food scientists developing food to make you full faster

Canada may not be among the fattest countries in the world, but the fact that magic slimming concoctions keep making their way here shows that the lure of fast-tracking toward a thinner body is still strong—which is probably why scientists at Nestlé are developing new foods that trick the body into satiety. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, products based on the research could be available within five years.

As part of their studies, Nestlé scientists use a million-dollar toy that mimics the human gastrointestinal system (kind of like this thing, we’re thinking, but less arty). Among other things, they’re looking into the “gut brain,” otherwise known as the enteric nervous system, the clump of neurons that lets the actual brain know when we should stop eating. Figure out how to manipulate that thing, and presto—less food, more slim.

Sounds dandy (well, kind of weird, actually), but there’s something slightly suspicious about a food company wanting to develop food that doesn’t get eaten a whole lot. We suggest a more trusted alternative that doesn’t involve eating healthy: the ThighMaster.

• Hungry? Your Stomach Really Does Have a Mind of Its Own [Wall Street Journal]