Everyday Systems

I read this in a newsletter I get from America's Test Kitchen.

I leave you with the words of a wonderful Greek storekeeper I just met in Cincinnati. He sells hats and we got on the topic of how many young people eat while walking down the street. He observed that when a dog is thrown a scrap of meat, he immediately takes it to a quiet corner, sits down, and eats. “So,†he said, “a dog can sit down to dinner, but we can’t?†Good point. Christopher Kimball

I've read that part of the reason we have issues with our weight (and health, too, for that matter) is that we don't pay attention when we eat. We're doing other things as well as eating: walking, driving, reading, watching TV, and so on. We just pop something into our mouths and keep on going. Not only do we usually eat more because of this, we also don't enjoy the act of eating whatever. When you eat while you're doing something else you don't savor the food. A few minutes later, you don't even remember that you ate something, so you eat more of it trying to get the enjoyment.

This could be part of the problem we have on "S" days -- just eating randomly because 1) we can and 2) it's there. If we were to make it a habit to stop, sit down and savor whatever it is, it's likely we would eat less of it.

Maybe "stop and savor" should be another "S"-- or two.

That is a fantastic quote.

I'm sorry it's too late to stick it in the No-S book -- next version

Thank you!

Reinhard

I LOVE "stop and savor."

One of my goals is to eliminate perma-snacking on ordinary S-days. Snacks, yes, but with boundaries (as in, a clear beginning and end, for one thing!). "No Perma-snacking" describes what I want to do, but it's not an S, and it's... negative? restrictive-sounding?

Stop and savor covers the same territory, but much better - it's a positive, it's an alliterative S, it gives better direction.

I am officially adopting that phrase for my S-days mantra. (Other days too, but they're less of an issue.)

Thank you!!!

I like the whole quote...but I agree that 'stop and savour' is another great addition to the No S repatoire.

Something to think about at each meal and especially on S days.