#99, The Benefits of Becoming a Food Snob

This one is both for you “foodies” out there and for those who suffer with the “see food, eat food” condition. Did you know that you can severely undercut cravings and anxiety around eating opportunities by becoming a little bit of a snob? This is a fun episode where I’m going to break down the two main benefits to becoming a food snob then show you how to implement this into your daily life. 
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The other day I added doughnuts to my grocery order. I wanted to surprise my daughter since we don’t have doughnuts very often and she had mentioned them a few times. However, my order of glazed doughnuts was substituted with a box of filled doughnuts. Immediately I was disappointed, but later when we opened the box I decided to go ahead to have one. It was awful. The pudding in the center made for a very unappealing texture and it didn’t seem like there was enough glaze to go with the bread-y-ness of the doughnut. I ate half and gave the rest to the chickens. (Yes, I have chickens)

However, not long ago I would have finished the doughnut and had one or two more, holding on the supporting fact that it didn’t matter what they tasted like since we didn’t have doughnuts often. I have to admit, I’m becoming a bit of a food snob, and I like it. 

So, what is a food snob? A food snob is simply someone who is just a bit discerning about the taste and texture of a food while staying aware of how it affects your body. I’m not saying you need gourmet meals or high-priced cooking ingredients, I’m just saying you can become a little picky about what you eat and then make some great choices about what you put in your mouth. 

There are two main benefits to this: #1 You don’t eat everything & #2 you pay attention to what you eat. 

In our culture, almost no one needs to be eating everything they are offered and what is on their plate. The typical American is constantly over-served and has way too many eating opportunities. In order to stay healthy we need to be able to say no. When you have things you will or will not eat, you can commit to staying healthy.

Americans also eat too fast. When you become a food snob, the eating experience becomes more intense. You think about the sensations of what you're eating and then process how much you enjoy or don’t enjoy what you are eating. Then, your brain has a way better chance of both remembering the experience and noticing when you’ve eaten enough.

Okay, how does that sound? Are you ready to back-track and become a picky eater? I have a few tips that will help you. 

• Make a food rating scale. This is so simple. Have a evaluation process you go through whenever you eat a food, rating it from 1 to 10 or 0 to five, deciding how likely you would be to eat this again given the choice and why. This will help you get enjoyment out of your food and make loving decisions about what you eat in the future. It will also really fix the experience in your memory allowing you to use that information the next time you are faced with that food. 

 

• Give yourself the reminder that you can have something better later. I used to almost always get seconds of whatever was served. I just liked that feeling of being at enough. Now I still eat whatever is served, if I’m hungry, but if it is just a craving it is very easy to remind myself that I don’t exactly care for the food offered /served and that I can always have something else later that is worth eating. 

 

• Stop at enough. Always stop at the point where you have eaten enough to be satisfied before becoming full. Then either be thankful that you had food and were provided for or remind yourself that you can make or order this food anytime. 

Alright, my dears, I’m so proud of your journey. I hope this episode was some good food for thought, (sorry for the pun). I’ll be back next week for another episode. Goodbye for now.

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