Giving into my taste buds is something I have done all my life.
I am a hardcore foodie and I never worried about bad eating habits and consuming unhealthy food because I have good genes. Apparently, Father Time watched my ridiculous videos and decided that it was time for me to pay the piper. My bad eating habits eventually started to catch up with me in 2013. I decided to start caring about what I put into my body this year. It seems easy enough, but as a person who feels a profound sense of joy when savoring the offerings of GastroPubs and other culinary delights, I had to teach myself a trick.
The Enemy:
The old adage “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” is not really accurate. Sure it rhymes but my lips don’t have taste buds. They prefer Chapstick and Laura Mercier lip gloss in Bare Pink. My tongue is the problem. The BIG problem. (How can one tiny body part cause so much trouble?) It has a mind of its own and it loves unhealthy food. It rejoices in eating things that generally come with a high calorie count. It’s my fault. I trained it up to be a gravy loving, cupcake craving maniac. I take full responsibility. So how do I reach my fitness and health goals with such a voracious little manipulator?
The Secret Solution:
I realize now that I cannot change my tongue. It is what it is. However, I can train my brain to think beyond my taste buds. Hint: It’s kind of like learning to deal with your kids when they decide to be incessant whiners and ignoring them is fruitless. Now when I am offered a menu of tantalizing treats, I stop and ask myself the following questions:
- What is in this?
- What will it do for my body/health?
- What will it cost me if I eat this, according to my bigger goal?
- Am I willing to sacrifice my improved health and reaching my goals for this?
I have found that if I take the time to ask myself these questions, it puts things into perspective and helps me to think beyond those greedy and demanding little taste buds. I’m not saying that I shouldn’t treat myself to an occasional food porn moment. This is more of a inner discussion that should take place at every meal or snack time (just don’t have the discussion with yourself out loud or you will look odd.) In fact, it has worked every night this week when my tongue was like, “Hey, Kadi. There’s rocky road ice cream in the freezer. Why don’t we just have a few scoops before bed?” It has also helped me to:
- Pass up pasta for an extra helping of veggies at dinner
- Substitute using flavored creamer in my coffee for vanilla coconut milk
- Choose steel cut oats instead of cake (true story)
- Snack on vegetables instead of chips
I challenge you to try eating beyond your taste buds for a week and see how many times you can claim victory over them! Warning: They will try to trick you and wear you down, so you have to be mentally stronger. Come back and share your victories with me! I’m curious to know how it will work for other people who are usually controlled by their taste buds. Remember, the battle of eating healthier begins in the mind. Go forth and conquer, brave health Padawans!
