Savor the Flavor

I wanted to share something I have learned already in my new weight loss journey.  Food is even better when you take the time to taste it.  Read on…

I am a fast eater.  I always have been.  At least I used to think so until we had a son.  That boy could wolf down an entire meal in minutes!  He worked on a local farm as a teenager and on many occasions he would stop in for supper but was anxious to get back over to the farm.  He would devour the meal in no time and then head for the door.  His mom would say, “Hey, why don’t you slow down and taste that food?”  His response was, “I’ll taste it later.”  Unfortunately, I would have to confess to eating in a similar fashion.  But my fast eating wasn’t guided by the need to leave.  I guess that I ate quickly so I could eat more.  I didn’t realize it at the time but as I look back it seems like that is what was taking place.  More food meant a ‘better’ meal.  Boy was I wrong.

I love sandwich cookies.  We would sometimes have them for a quick dessert after supper.  My wife would take 2 or 3 and slowly enjoy them.  I, on the other hand, would start with 6 or so and eat them, one cookie per bite.  I’m not kidding. I’d toss one sandwich cookie in mouth (that’s right, all at once), take a sip of coffee, chew a few times and swallow.  That meant a large burst of overpowering sweet followed by an empty mouth.  So what do you do next?  Pop in another cookie and repeat the whole process multiple times.  So let me share something with you that I have learned.  When you take time to chew each bite…stuff really tastes good!  No, I’m not kidding!

I don’t care what part of the meal it is, if you take the time to chew it the “juices” start to flow and your taste buds get bathed in great flavors.  I understand that such slow chewing also lets your saliva do its work in beginning the digestive process on that mouthful of food, making its nutritional value even better.  Who knew!?  I’m here to tell you that everything tastes better when I take the time to chew it and, as the title of this post reads, savor the flavor!  At times, especially when I’m out for a long walk, I will carry a WW Pecan Crown treat in my pocket for a burst of energy if I need it.  The ‘old’ Bob would pop one of those little devils in his mouth, give it a few, very few, chews and then swallow.  The ‘new’ Bob has learned to let that sweet thing sit in his mouth and slowly melt away.  First, the chocolate coating takes it’s sweet time, and I do mean sweet, to dissolve and guess where it sets.  Right on top of those taste buds.  “Boom”, there’s a burst of great flavor.  After the chocolate is about gone you are still left with the pecan and caramel center!  The whole taste explosion happens all over again.  You would be amazed at how one candy (for 1 ppt.) satisfies that chocolate craving when eaten this way.  I’m learning!

Just this morning I was reminded of how great wheat bread toast tastes all by itself when eaten in this same manner.  One bite…chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, and the flavor really intensifies.  I used to think of toast in terms of the number of slices on the plate.  Now I’m looking at it I terms of the number of bites I’m getting out of just one slice!  I’ve applied this not-so-new knowledge to the rest of my eating and am seeing benefits from it as well.  After each bite of food I put my fork down.  Yup, I literally set it down on my plate.  This reminds me to take the time to thoroughly chew that mouthful before I take the next one.  This has caused me to take a lot more time enjoying the meal, the food tastes better, and with that extra time I start feeling full before all the food on my plate is gone.  Just last night I was enjoying a meal which included 2 small portions of pork.  By the time I had worked my way through the first piece of pork, along with the other parts of the dinner, I really didn’t feel like eating the second one.  And you know what that means…LESS POINTS/LESS CALORIES!  YAY!

So, my advice to you is the same thing my mom used to tell us as kids...“Slow down and enjoy your food.”  What do you know, Mom was right all along!  It’s weird but absolutely true.  Food does taste better when you slow down and “Savor the Flavor”!  Happy, healthy and even more tasty eating to you all.  God bless.