What do you like best about your food?
As you pay attention to the foods you love, you may discover a lot of them appeal to you only because of their texture.
In fact, some foods don’t have very much flavor at all, but their texture keeps you coming back for more.
Think about which types of food textures you enjoy most. Do you tend to prefer crunchy and chewy or soft and smooth? When you bite into a thick, juicy cheeseburger, what sensations do you get with that first bite?
Mentally feel the contrast between eating a strip of beef jerky and an ice-cream cone. Picture eating cashews, then switch to peanut butter.
What do you think makes the difference in why specific textures appeal to you? You may discover your “love” of some foods is based entirely on the way they feel in your mouth.
When you start eating something and you can’t seem to stop, think about what the texture might be doing for you.
Does it give you a way to chew hard and fast, the way you’d like to “chew on” your boss? Maybe it feels soothing or comforting, causing you to eat more so you can feel these emotions again and again.
If you recognize you’re eating for texture, try to figure out which emotional needs are connected to those foods.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Pay special attention to the flavor and texture of each of the foods you eat today. Write down what you learn about your food preferences.
I like cookies I can chomp into, not crunchy in texture, but more soft and chewy. The texture feels interesting in my mouth (vs. boring) and it livens up my life!
2. Select one of your favorite foods. Describe its texture in great detail. Use creative words as if you were writing a gourmet review for a magazine.
I love chocolate chunk ice cream on top of butterscotch pudding. I guess this combines both soft and creamy with the crunchiness.
3. See if you can correlate your favorite textures with specific events, people or emotional needs. Plan how you can handle these in other ways. Describe your ideas for this.
I still find the texture of cookies reminds me of my mom and being at home. She passed away a few years ago, and I still miss her a lot. I know that sometimes, I eat cookies because it makes me feel close to her again.
But I’ve also had that feeling when I’ve taken walks along a tree-lined path. And that’s a lot less calories!
Excerpted from Day 39 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss