How to Enjoy Food More

By Julieanna Hever, The Plant-Based Dietitian 

Notice how everything sounds more and more delicious the hungrier you are? A crisp sweet apple, a crunchy rib of celery, a soft, warm plain baked potato…items you may not crave on a regular basis, but with hunger, your true palate emerges.

If you have ever fasted, or detoxified with a “cleanse,” or been on any weight loss diet, you likely have experienced an increased interest and desire (sometimes rather dramatic) for all things food-related. When I used to diet, I would read cookbooks and nutrition books and talk to my friends and family about recipes obsessively. I literally could not move my mind away from eating.

On the flip side, when you eat hyper-palatable foods or are in the midst of a large feast (as what commonly occurs on Thanksgiving), food tastes progressively less and less enjoyable. It’s as though your taste buds numb out. An alert that your body is no longer interested in receiving any further deposits.

Here's how to maximize these natural tendencies for optimal health and easy weight management:

1. Allow yourself to get physically hungry before eating. You will know you are hungry when simple foods like an apple or raw celery sound exquisite.

2. Stop eating when you are comfortable and satisfied. You will know this by your body feeling satisfied and food will stop tasting as good as it did at the beginning.

3. Detox off of hyper-palatable foods (highly processed foods rich in sugars, fats, salt, and artificial additives) if you are still consuming them on a regular basis or if you crave them.

Resources:
-Dr. Neal Barnard on Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar — Physically Addictive via VegSource.com​
-Adding Mindfulness To Your Day
-The New York Times​’ Mindful Eating as Food for Thought
-Zen Habits​’ The Two Okinawan Diet Rules

Books that elaborate on these principles:
-The Vegiterranean Diet
-The Blue Zones​
-Breaking the Food Seduction
-Salt, Sugar, Fat
-The Pleasure Trap

(*Image via SimpleReminders.com​)