Sensa: The diet plan is described in a new book

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Our Booster Shots blog post last year on the Sensa diet, ‘Get a whiff of this diet,’ generated loads of comments from readers, many of whom have shared their experiences with the product (both good and bad). If you want to learn a bit more about the program, now you can read a book from the creator. ‘Sensa Weight-Loss Program’ (Hilton Publishing, $23.95) is written by Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. The Sensa program features salt-free, sugar-free scented substances called Tastant crystals that are sprinkled on food. The Tastants supposedly help people feel full so they eat less. It is not a drug. In a study of 1,400 overweight and obese men presented last year, Hirsch found those who stuck with the Sensa Tastants for six months lost an average of about 30 pounds. A control group of 100 people who used nonflavored crystals that looked like Tastants lost an average of two pounds over six months. Independent studies on the Sensa program have not been conducted.

The system was discovered by accident, Hirsch says in the book. He found that some patients suffering from head injuries who had lost their sense of smell and taste were gaining weight. So he wondered whether enhancing the sense of smell might lead to weigh loss.

The book describes the three stages of the Sensa program and instructs readers on how to use the Tastants, which must be ordered online. Hirsch also includes basic diet advice, such as eating slowly and adding fitness to your lifestyle.

You can review our readers’ comments on Sensa on the Booster Shots post.

-- Shari Roan