Speaking of Umami

I don't know where I had been for the last couple of years, culinarily speaking, but now that I've pulled my head out of the sand I'm discovering all manner of things: a citrus fruit called Buddha's fingers, ponzu sauce, and umami. According to Wikipedia, "Umami was first identified as a basic taste in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University while researching the strong flavor in seaweed broth." The article's authors draw a parallel with the concept Brillat-Savarin named osmazome. This NPR story links Escoffier's discovery of veal stock to Europe's first conscious experience of umami. Perhaps it's too boring to go into all the theories--it is the 5th taste, after sour, sweet, salty, and bitter--or it's a sign that the food contains protein and is thus important for evolution and survival--but the practical item of interest to me is that there is perhaps a predictable way to ensure that good tasting things really do taste good. Could this be used by someone who is trying to lose weight, for instance, to induce a sense of satiety more reliably? I hope to experiment with the concept over the next months.