With the new year in full force, and everyone *trying* to stick to their resolutions, I thought it would be a perfect time to do a post on a goal that I think is great to incorporate into your life, new year, or not. There is a trick that I love to use, called “eat with your eyes first”. What this means is that I take time to make meals that are as visually appealing as they are to eat. When I put together a beautiful dish to eat, it makes me more excited to dig in. When your food looks good, you feel more satisfied while enjoying it, and you pay more attention to what you eat. By eating food that looks good, you are less likely to overeat, and are more likely to feel full sooner. Since your eyes are alert and they like what they see, you are better able visualize what you have eaten, and how much you enjoyed it. Think about it, restaurants serve food that has great presentation for a reason- it pleases the eyes and the stomach. It is much more satisfying to eat a colorful fruit salad or a beautiful pasta dish garnished with fresh basil than shoveling handfuls of chips into your mouth.
I encourage you to pretend that you are making food for someone special (which you are: you!), and put some thought into presentation. I promise it makes snacks and meals much more satisfying and exciting. I was so impressed when I ordered some fruit at a restaurant, and it came out looking stunning! It was so exciting to eat the fruit above, compared to eating it if it were just haphazardly thrown onto a plate.
It only take a few seconds to elevate something “blah” into something “wow”. Add fresh herbs, cut fruit and veggies on the bias, or use a mandolin slicer to shave them very thin. And always go for color. Colorful meals look better than all brown ones.
I didn’t really make any resolutions this year, but I am going to try to make my meals look better, so that I visually trick myself into thinking they taste better. Tell me what your resolutions are this year! I want to know!
And remember, eat with your eyes first!
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