Food for Thought

The holidays are here and my family members look forward to the special dishes that I make during the season. In fact, my son is appalled if I even consider dropping one recipe from the menu, so despite the calories, I cook dishes luscious with butter and cream and bake sweets steeped in sugar.

The problem is what to do with all that fabulous food that is left over when the meal is finished. I send some home, of course, but because I always make way too much, I still have those extra calories staring at me whenever I open the refrigerator door, and resisting them is so tough. Long ago, though, I decided not to be too hard on myself. After all, the holidays come only once a year.

I read an interesting article just yesterday that may save the day. It says if one thinks repeatedly about a particular food, the desire to eat it is diminished. In other words, think long and hard about what it is like to ingest that piece of cake or candy, and you will eat less of it.

The Carnegie Mellon University study dispels the long believed notion that the more we think about something, the more we want it. We do have to do the "imagining" repeatedly and in great detail.

For instance, if we want to eat a piece of cheese (my downfall), we must imagine unwrapping it, slicing through it, putting it into our mouth, chewing it, and savoring each bite until it is swallowed. In fact, the greater the detail of visualization, the better it is. The researchers promise that if we do that 30 times or more, we will eat smaller portions or none at all.

"Engaging in the mental act of eating can reduce interest in that type of food," said lead researcher Dr. Carey Morewedge. The brain actually believes that we have eaten so much of that particular food that any more of it is a turn-off.

Wouldn't it be fabulous to think ourselves thin? Let me know if it works for you!