I’ve got a habit of picking at food as I’m cooking so I’ve thought about this somewhat. There are ways to combat the little pickers affliction, and there are ways to turn your little pickers habit into a healthy eating and weight loss advantage! Now we’re talking.
First though, 4 ways to prevent pre-meal picking: (try saying that 4 times fast)
1. Go and live with a group of Hare Krishna’s – ain’t no picking allowed in their kitchen. Not even a taste until Krishna says so. (Believe it or not I’ve done this whilst in South America but that’s a whole other story)
2. Eat 4, smaller, low GL (glycemic load) meals a day. Space them out at 4 hours apart to keep blood sugar levels steady and consistent. You won’t be ravenously hungry when it comes to preparing your next meal and so will feel more in control and less need to pick at the ingredients whilst cooking.
3. Drink a large glass of water or caffeine free herbal tea before preparing the meal. It’s very common for us to confuse hunger with thirst and it really will fill you up a little, just until that meal is set down in front of you. Also avoid the wine glass in hand approach to cooking as alcohol is an appetite stimulant (hence the aperitif) and you’re likely to want to pick at food whilst drinking as well as eat more of your main meal.
4. Chew on gum. Obvious reasons.
Or you can turn that picking time into a smaller knickers wearing opportunity by picking on foods that your body (not mind or taste buds) craves. This will provide excellent nutrition at a time when your cells are most receptive to nourishment; when you’re hungry. It will also ensure that you eat less for the main event and banish the need for seconds as your appetite will be satisfied. One theory which I subscribe to is that we continue to crave nutrients that are not present in our diet until we eat them. This, however only translates to hunger for more general calories as our minds can’t differentiate between a craving for vitamin B12 and Ben and Jerry’s, or manganese and mayonnaise.
We’re at an advantage if we can anticipate and feed ourselves lots of vitamins and minerals right off the bat. Lots of studies have shown that people who eat a green leafy salad before their main course are slimmer. (Patrick Holford and co are big on this one) So have a big bag of salad leaves in the fridge, pre-washed and good to go. Pick on spinach, rocket, watercress; all the peppery salads which not only contain the highest amount of anti-oxidants but also reduce your appetite. I think some of you may be scrunching your nose up a bit now. Don’t like salad leaves? Try any raw veggies that you do like. But have them conveniently washed and chopped for eating or the temptation to pick on the other stuff will win. You could also benefit from an alkaline squeeze of lemon juice that will enhance the flavour too. Just get munching on and you can thank me when the Bridget Jones specials are gathering dust.
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