The Four Gustatory Phases

It is possible to distinguish four phases in the alliesthetic variations of flavors perceived with most whole foods. However, these phases are not necessarily comparable from one food to another in terms of the nature of the perceptions.

The organism is a complex whole, and the sensations related to food regulation do not follow a simple spectrum. The overall concept, which can be considered the result of the different perceptual variations of an odor and a flavor, is that of pleasure-displeasure. This is what governs the instinctive acceptance or rejection of food.

Several components come into play and combine, almost as if the body were able to take into account all the aromatic, biochemical, and even mechanical elements that constitute the perception of food during ingestion: smell, taste, texture, salivation, sensations upon swallowing, stomach reactions, aftertaste… These different components are immediately integrated to form an overall perception, recognized as more or less pleasant depending on digestive and metabolic needs and capacities.

It is necessary to consider this overall psychological dimension of pleasantness/displeasure to ensure proper regulation of food intake, and not to focus on partial components, such as sweet, sour, creamy, etc. The difficulty lies in the fact that the perceived pleasantness can interfere with other psychological elements, such as memories of pleasure, discomfort, or disgust, dietary beliefs about the usefulness or harmfulness of food, eating habits, etc. The first lesson to learn, if we want to rediscover our natural way of functioning, is to mute all attempts at intrusion by intellect or emotion, focusing our attention solely on the organic sensation of pleasure or displeasure.

Thus, we see that putting our eating instinct into practice requires genuine self-work. We must learn to prioritize the body’s signals and set aside feelings of anxiety, security concerns, conditioning, and all emotional projections, which constantly tend to influence our behavior. These various elements, in fact, belong to the ego. The inner work done with each meal is not only about food; it subsequently bears fruit in the relational, even spiritual, realm, because here too, it is essential not to be influenced by egoic content if we want to recognize true human values, true intuitions, and avoid committing the countless errors that the ego is so adept at creating.

How can we describe the phases of taste?

We can first distinguish a “pleasant phase” which, after a certain amount of food is ingested, shifts into an “unpleasant phase.” The amount of food likely to trigger this shift depends on the body’s state (digestive capacity, metabolic needs, etc.) and the state of the food (ripeness, quality, fermentation, etc.). It is therefore unpredictable. For some, the shift occurs with the first bite, for others after quantities that might sometimes seem exorbitant. However, observing the results, both in terms of digestion and in the longer term, demonstrates that the phenomenon is perfectly regulated. Apparently excessive quantities only seem excessive in relation to the standards imposed by dietetics, which, precisely, do not take actual needs into account but refer to averages.

If ingestion continues beyond the point of unpleasantness, certain components generally become unbearable: acidity, astringency, and irritation of the mucous membranes seem to escalate, making further consumption virtually impossible, especially with wild foods. At this stage, the temptation becomes strong to add a little salt, sugar, oil, or any condiment whose virtues lie precisely in neutralizing the apparent harshness of the food. Denaturation through cooking has essentially the same effect. Thus, through culinary manipulation, one can prolong the pleasant experience beyond the warning sign.

Experience does indeed show that this fourth phase corresponds to a danger to the body, which can manifest itself either in the short term as indigestion or immune system dysfunction (inflammatory and infectious tendencies), causing, for example, the flare-up of pre-existing illnesses (colds, ear infections, bronchitis); or, in the longer term, through repetition, in the form of chronic, metabolic (e.g., obesity) or immune disorders (such as cancer or autoimmune diseases).

What name should be given to this phase beyond the unpleasant? I proposed calling it the “painful phase,” not because it is always specifically painful in the mouth, but because it often manifests, beyond tongue irritation, difficulty swallowing, and digestive overload, as pain in the organs.

Conversely, we observe that the pleasure produced by food that satisfies a deep bodily need, and provided that the body is not too disrupted by a processed diet, can reach a level surpassing that of the finest prepared dishes. In these situations, one experiences a kind of ecstasy that floods the palate and then the throat, radiating throughout the entire body—an organic wonder, so to speak, that goes far beyond mere pleasure.

This level of instinctive appeal isn’t immediately accessible; the body first needs to establish some order so that natural sensations can reach their full potential. A single exception, or a tendency to force interruptions—for example, by systematically pushing through to the painful phase—is enough to dull the sensations and confine one to mere pleasure. The capacity for enjoyment thus seems to depend directly on the proper functioning of the body, presupposing the absence of disruptive molecules from food preparation and the absence of overload, which, as we understand, can only diminish the body’s natural attraction to food.

Here too, a name had to be found to describe this level of pleasure. I finally settled on the term “luminous phase.” The expression conveys its meaning well, despite an esoteric connotation that some might find objectionable. As always, a metaphor can only be understood if its context is known. For me, the term “luminous phase” evokes no religious or superstitious illumination, but simply a level of feeling that, compared to mere pleasure, is like the difference between a radiant sun and the glare of a light bulb.

Perfect nutritional balance and metabolic function guarantee daily access to this luminous phase. Conversely, consistently accessing it ensures optimal balance. However, it’s easy to lose sight of this level of enjoyment under the influence of anxieties that lead to forced breaks, food suffering from various imperfections (poor fertilizers, artificial selection, improper storage), or dietary beliefs (I have to eat enough protein, vitamin B12, etc.). Many people who rely on instinct fall into these traps and end up complaining of vague pauses or constant overload, simply because they have lost the “luminous” dimension along the way, due to all sorts of small mistakes, and have ultimately become accustomed to a lower level. A short period of fasting can sometimes help to get things back on track.

In summary:

1. It is by finding the food that best meets the body’s needs and assimilation capacities that one accesses the luminous phase. The optimal food can only be found through smell, knowing that simply tasting foods at random diminishes the capacity for optimal enjoyment.
2. The sensation felt during ingestion shifts more or less distinctly into a pleasant phase, much less intense, which still corresponds to meeting the need, while beginning to induce collateral overload. It is best to stop at the first stomach signal.
3. If you continue eating, you enter an unpleasant phase characterized by various unpleasant sensations in the mouth, indicating a negative impact of the food. It is therefore not only pointless but harmful to continue eating.
4. If, out of a desire for experimentation or due to rigidity, you prolong consumption, you most often reach a painful phase, which corresponds to a level of overload that can endanger the body, either in the short or long term.

The key concept is that of pleasantness/displeasure, encompassing not only taste and smell perceptions (particularly retronasal olfaction), but also all organoleptic data (consistency, juiciness, creaminess, etc.), as well as sensations of fullness or satisfaction originating from the stomach, and other sensations related to the quality of digestion.

These various criteria are only recognizable and reliable with unprocessed foods. They are particularly clear with wild foods. The more a food is altered, prepared, and transformed by various culinary, agricultural, or industrial techniques intended to make it more palatable or improve its preservation, the more the boundaries between its different phases become blurred. Culinary art, artificial selection, and, to some extent, industrial methods aim to facilitate consumption by neutralizing the adverse reactions put in place by nature to ensure nutritional balance. These practices inevitably lead to permanent metabolic overload, of which the current obesity epidemic is the most glaring symptom.