How your brain can trick you into feeling satisfied.
And you can use this to your advantage — helping you to eat lighter and healthier.
Which would you rather eat:
• Rich, buttery roasted sweet corn
• Corn
• Reduced-sodium corn
• Vitamin-rich corn
Well, those were the choices offered in the cafeteria at Stanford University earlier this year.
The only thing was, it was all the same corn — it was just described differently.
You see, researchers wanted to see just how much the description of a food influences two things:
1 Your decision to choose it
2 How much of it you eat
So, for 46 days, they randomly changed how they described vegetables on the lunch menu in Stanford’s cafeteria. (They didn’t change how the foods were cooked, just what they called them.)
And here’s what they learned:
• People were MOST likely to pick vegetables described in “decadent” terms.
• They were LEAST likely to pick them if they were described in “healthy” terms.
• They ate LARGER PORTIONS of the veggies described in “decadent” terms.
Now, this study goes together perfectly with another Stanford study, conducted by some of the same researchers.
For this study, there were two groups of participants. Both groups received the same 380-calorie milkshake (yummy!).
However, the scientists told one group that it was a rich, delicious, “indulgent” 620-calorie shake…
And they told the other group that it was a “sensible,” healthy 140-calorie shake.
For both groups, they checked the participants’ levels of ghrelin — the “hunger hormone”…
And guess what:
The “decadent shake” group experienced a dramatic decline in their ghrelin level after drinking the shake — making them feel full.
Meanwhile, the “healthy shake” group still had high ghrelin after drinking the shake — making them still feel hungry…
Even though they had the SAME shake!
I was blown away by this…
Who knew your actual hunger hormones could change… just because you thought you consumed something rich and filling?
Well, it turns out… your brain can trick you into feeling satisfied.
And you can use this to your advantage — helping you to eat lighter and healthier.
Here’s how:
If you have a hard time making yourself eat your veggies or other healthy foods…
Focus on the delicious, savory, yummy aspects — and avoid calling them “healthy” or “good for you.”
In other words, FORGET they’re healthy!
Because thinking something is “healthy” can leave you feeling unsatisfied — which makes you more likely to reach for something
REALLY unhealthy!
Besides, healthy food really can be delicious and satisfying.
That’s why I often send you tasty, healthy recipes you can enjoy.
And because you’re probably getting hungry right now with all this food talk…
Here’s a wonderful, delicious snack recipe you can try today:
Roasted Ginger and Garlic Butternut Squash Wedges
Ingredients
- 2 lbs butternut squash peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
-
Combine minced garlic, olive oil, and ginger in a large bowl.
-
Add squash and mix to coat well.
-
Place squash on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
Recipe Notes
Winter squash are coming into season, so now is the perfect time to try these yummy wedges.
I’m sure you’ll love the sweet-and-savory taste… and the delicious aroma wafting through your kitchen.
Mmm, I can almost smell that tasty squash cooking right now. 🙂
Enjoy!