“We eat with our eyes first.” Yet it is our tongue that will savor the sweetness or sense the heat in the spicy or retract from the sour, the bitter… and salivate with with the savory. So what role can our eyes play in the win or loss of the game of nutrition? Close your eyes and think about your favorite food. Do you just taste it, or do you see it in front of you? Does simply seeing it cause you to salivate at the thought of taking that first bite? Yes, we eat with our eyes first. So, I encourage you to play the game to win!
These mandarins came in a utilitarian netted bag. Designed to bring the fruit to market and then to the consumer, in this case, my family. But maybe less utilitarian than you thought; as the nets that pack orange citrus are always orange or red. Just as the nets that pack avocados are green. The packaging is to enhance the appeal of the product, to hide the minor blemishes… so the citrus appears to be a more vibrant orange, the avocados a perfectly ripe green. This is because even the vendors know that as we make our purchases, we are eating with our eyes.
So are a few Nutrition gamer tips:
In your fridge the healthy stuff needs to be at eye level. Buy in a variety of vibrant colors. Keep it easily accessible. This includes not keeping all your produce in what I call the compost drawer, because seriously, when was the last time you put something in there and it came out crisper? Well then, what goes in the drawer you ask? Turn it into the condiment drawer, where all the high calorie, fat laden add-ons go. Believe me, you won’t forget they are in there, but they won’t always be in your face. Or you can use a drawer for laying your can drinks or bottles on their sides. Not only will it keep them from getting knocked out of the fridge and making a mess but why give those items prime real estate in your fridge. Location, location… location.
Outside of the fridge, keep healthy snacks easily in reach and appealing to the eye. Take things out of their “marketing packaging” so you can grab and go snack. Like these mandarins, having them in an attractive bowl also serves the purpose of being decorative. Extra “busy mom” points there. Don’t have the empty calorie snacks sitting out. They don’t get the prime real estate of your counter. Same rules for the fridge apply to your pantry. Healthy stuff at eye level, and remember, yours may not be the only eyes that look into the pantry. If you must have unhealthy snacks for when you are craving that treat, put it/them way up high or way down low, so you have to go to extra trouble to get to it. Also, portion it out in appropriate air tight containers. No throw-aways! Be kind to the environment! You know if you don’t portion it, you will suddenly find an empty bag in your lap or in front of you, that if you were to read the nutrition label, it stated that there were 8 servings that you just unceremoniously inhaled.
When plating your food, get into the social media mindset. Challenge yourself to get as many people as possible asking you for the recipe or giving you a positive reaction because your meal “looked” so delicious. Even if you never post it, take a pic of it for yourself… you keeping you accountable.
Best tip; I’m not going to tell you never to buy anything other than perfectly nutritious foods, but when you shop, never add more than one of those types of items to your cart. If you want more, look at the price, leave it on the shelf and go home and put the money you would have spent into a “cash stash”. When it’s time to change the clocks back or forward, calculate your stash and before you know it, you will have a nice stash to treat yourself to a new smaller size clothing item! Ain’t gonna lie, I want “junk” all the time, but not “junk in the trunk” so if I stick to it, my stash should come out to be enough for a nice little vacation! Alooooooooooha!