To eat or Not to eat, That is the question

Posted on March 3, 2016

Did you eat and ENJOY what you ate today? I mean so many times we are in a hurry and we wolf down our food or watch it in front of the television and just eat without even tasting it.

When you are on a controlled diet you need to think about learning to enjoy your food. Enjoy the taste, let it roll around on your tongue, smell it, enjoy it. Hey, we aren't getting to eat a lot here, so we have to appreciate what we are eating.

On that note, my Mom and I just bought a new dinner set of dishes. Okay, that doesn't sound very exciting, but we want to enjoy the presentation of our food. We are on Nutrisystem, mostly, and it comes frozen and in little black cartons. UGH. I can't stand that. I have to cook them and then take them out of the ugly black cartons and put them on pretty plates. I want to enjoy looking at my food. Part of eating is VISUAL so I want to start there. A big pile of low calorie "things" just piled up on a plate are not appetizing. Even if they taste good, why don't we start with trying to make them look pretty? I know that probably sounds silly, but if you can look forward to a meal and enjoy what you are looking at you are going to come away with a more fulfilled attitude.

So, how about turning off the TV, turn off the whatever else is taking your attention and sit there and first of all LOOK AT YOUR PLATE. Is is attractive, does it make you want to eat it or is it something just thrown together because you were hungry? Okay, so it is attractive, now is it GOOD for you? Nachos (one of my favorites) can be attractive, but are they good for me..well, maybe some of the concoction is, certainly not all of it. So, now we have a certain amount of calories. Are the calories on your plate you are looking at WORTH the calories they are going to put on your hips? If yes, then you moved on to number 3. The third thing is that once you have decided that you have an attractive plate, the calories are good, you want to take the time to taste the food. Taste it, don't just shovel it. If you really taste it, you will learn to appreciate it more. One time I was sick for a month and had only liquids. Well, one day I was allowed mashed potatoes and they tasted like the best mashed potatoes ever made. So, I really tasted them, I appreciated them, I even liked the looks of them.

Quit shoveling it in and start enjoying it. Food is not our enemy. It is a necessity and can be something we enjoy if we put our minds to it. Otherwise, you are on a diet and then as soon as you go off it you start grabbing for things you shouldn't have. You didn't learn to appreciate your food.

Later, Denise

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Julie Lama

03/03/2016 9:36PM

I love to smell my food then eat small bites..I enjoy the texture and such. I try and eat slow and appreciate it. I think of I eat and savor I will eat less and enjoy equally:)

Reggie

03/03/2016 5:55PM

I wonder if it is just me, or perhaps it is a gender thing but I look at the carbs and sugars in an item before I will incorporate it into a meal or the meal plan for the day. Having an apple for lunch? Then I might just eat nothing but protein for supper in order to keep a balance. Like I said, that might just be me. One thing that I know is that plates don't matter to men. I could eat off those cheap paper picnic plates and I'd never notice.

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EyesinFLDenise

It's like if you are going out for beer and pizza. A guy is going to make sure he has his clothes on the right side out. Period. A woman is going to do her hair, decide what clothes to wear and maybe try on more than one outfit, take a shower, decide what shoes and purse and maybe THEN go out for beer and pizza. Lol

Reggie

Oh yea. I am guilty of that behavior. Better than I used to be though.

Marcie

03/03/2016 2:44PM

Food definitely tastes better on pretty plates????. And I have been known to put my smoothie in a wine glass!

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JayP

03/03/2016 2:29PM

So true! In my "March Mindfulness" challenge I am really working on this and it is eye-opening. I never realized how often I eat while barely paying attention to it, and eat really fast. Then in addition to not having really enjoyed my food, I don't stop to realize the food actually made me full before I reach for more. I am getting better about paying attention to these things and it really helps, but it's a hard habit to change since it happens so unconsciously. It really takes having the time to slow down and the ability to completely focus on the eating. I'm working on being mindful for more of my eating but not expecting it to ever be "perfect." But it feels so good when I actually do it and it makes me eat less naturally.

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