Unusual facts about Vanilla extract Take a whiff of vanilla extract right before digging into any delectable meal, and you might just eat less of it. That’s because smelling a satisfyingly rich scent (like, you guessed it, vanilla) can trick your brain into thinking you’ve eaten more than you actually have, says Alan Hirsch, MD, founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. So try vanilla extract and help us know your experiences with it.. You can buy vanilla extract and other products from our product gallery.