You may not realize it, but the first two bites of any food always have the most flavor.
If you keep eating after that, you’re just “feeding.”
And if you’re wanting to appreciate the flavor, no matter how much you eat, the taste won’t get any more wonderful than those first two bites.
With any food that you love, eat the first two bites very slowly, noticing details such as the cinnamon in the apple pie or the soft caramel swirl in the cheesecake.
Close your eyes and delight in the taste. Allow yourself to completely absorb the texture and flavor of the food.
After you finish those two bites, decide if you truly need more. In most cases, you don’t.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Choose one of your favorite foods such as carrot cake, and then focus on all the details and tastes of the first two bites. Let yourself appreciate the flavors. Write down the food you choose for this exercise.
I actually did this today with a protein bar. (When you’re on a low-carb program, you have to improvise on these exercises.)
But in the past, I’ve used this technique with many types of foods. Last weekend while I was visiting my sister in Iowa, I took two bites of a brownie, and was amazed at how the strong and satisfying the flavor was.
2. After the first two bites, stop eating and get rid of the rest of the food. In the space below, describe your response to this experience.
This is not an easy thing to do. It feels hard to let go of something good. But when I do this, I find an amazing sense of peacefulness around the food item.
When I’ve taught this concept in classes, I hand out small chocolate chip cookies. After people eat the first two bites, I walk around with a trash can and ask them to throw away the remainder of their cookie. I’ve had people almost in tears because it was so hard to let go of it. But when I questioned them about the taste, they acknowledged that those first two bites really were enough.
3. With each food you eat today, pay close attention to the first two bites. Notice how they taste in comparison to the rest of the food. Write a few notes below.
I realize that the first two bites are the ones I notice most. This is true with all types of foods, even a salad!
Excerpted from Day 15 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss