{HMW} Unlock your brain's natural portion control system
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โ Dear Reader, Have you noticed how the first few bites of chocolate cake taste absolutely incredible, but by bite ten, it's lost some of its appeal? This phenomenon, called sensory specific satiety, is your brain's natural way of encouraging dietary variety. Your taste buds literally become fatigued by the same flavor, creating a natural stopping pointโif you're conscious and aware. This biological mechanism evolved to ensure we consumed a range of nutrients rather than filling up on just one food. When you eat mindfully, you can harness this natural system by noticing when food begins to lose its appeal, signaling it's time to stop, regardless of what remains on your plate. Here are 5 simple ways to help you get MORE satisfaction and pleasure with your meals. โ โ๏ธ Use layering or contrasting textures (soft with crunchy, creamy with crispy, etc) in your meals โ๏ธ Find a food environment that is quiet and with no distractions - even if its only for 5 minutes โ๏ธ Chew longer than you think you need to and notice how the flavors and textures change as it breaks down โ๏ธ Use more than one of the 5 Tastes together to make the meal more exciting to your taste buds. (Fun Fact: Ketchup has all 5 tastes - sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami!) โ๏ธ Examine and smell the aromas of your meal before taking a bite - notice what appeals to you and why. โ If you try any of these this week and it works well let me know! โ โ Have it: Interesting article alert: The Surprising Health Benefits of Swearingโ โ Hubby found this pet-stains focused portable Bissell carpet cleaner at Costco for only $70. Almost half off of what its sells for online. FYI! โ โ Made it: โ5-senses Sundayโ This weekโs 5-Senses Sunday has everything: bread cravings, back hugs, moose migration, motion-sickness-curing sound waves, and... why your friends might literally smell right to you. ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ โ New Freebie! โThe Sensory Awareness Tracker is your personal guide to developing a deeper relationship with your senses. Use this tool to enhance your mindful eating practice by recording and reflecting on sensory experiences throughout your day or during specific meals. โ Want it: Love the concept of this app, Too Good to Go, which helps and encourages both restaurants not to waste food and patrons who can use the app to find food establishments that have food left over for one to purchase and consume at half off the price or more. You can browse participating restaurants in your area. โ โ Ingredient Spotlight: Snow peas Snow peas are those crisp, flat green pods that bring a satisfying crunch and subtle sweetness to any dish. Unlike their cousin the snap pea, snow peas are harvested when the peas inside are still tiny, giving you that perfect, edible pod that requires zero prep beyond a quick rinse. These versatile veggies are packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber. They're also surprisingly high in protein for a vegetable, making them an excellent addition to plant-based meals. I love snow peas raw in salads, quickly stir-fried with garlic and ginger, or blanched for just 30 seconds to maintain that trademark snap. They're fantastic tossed with sesame oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, or mixed into grain bowls for added texture and nutrition. Try keeping a bag in your fridge for healthy snackingโthey're just as satisfying to munch on as chips but deliver actual nutrients your body can use. And unlike many vegetables that wilt within days, snow peas stay crisp for nearly a week when properly stored. Try this Sesame Snow pea recipe โ โ โ Announcements & Upcoming: โ โJoin us for the Art of Food Storytelling Workshop!โ That bite of apple pie that takes you straight back to your grandmother's kitchen.... The comfort meal you turn to after a difficult day.... The family recipes that connect generations.... They're each chapters in your unique food story that shape your eating patterns every single day. โIn this interactive workshop, we'll dive into the sensory-rich landscape of your food memories and uncover how these narratives influence your current relationship with eating. Through guided visualization, personal reflection, and small group sharing, you'll: ๐Map your most significant food memories across all five senses ๐Identify patterns in your food story that influence daily choices ๐Learn techniques to reframe limiting food narratives ๐Connect with others through the universal language of food stories โ Details:โ ๐ Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 โฐ 12:00pm est $25 (FREE for Just One More Bite paid subscribers!) ๐๏ธ Via Zoom (link provided upon registration) โฌ๏ธRegister below: โ
โ โ โ Extra Bytes: What I'm Reading: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern What I'm Watching: White Lotus, season 3โ What I'm Listening to: My body - telling me to slow down a bit. What I'm Eating: Crunchy Cabbage Salads with Sesame-Soy Dressing & Sugar Snap Peasโ That's it for me this week. Hope everyone has a happy and healthy hump day! Warmly, Jenny PS. Check out my new "pay-what-you-can" products shop!โ โ |