Your parents, well, let's be realistic, your mom would always say, "Look, but don't touch." So when you got to be an adult, you wanted a world where you bypassed "look" and went straight to "touch."
Being an adult gives you great freedom to look and touch food without that voice over your shoulder. Then again, that is when we usually get into trouble. And we have adopted the phrase, "If I see it, I'll want to eat it."
Classic steakhouses will show you a cart of the meat cuts, which aren't as appetizing since they are raw. Other classic restaurants will roll out a dessert tray, designed to tempt you just with a visual cue.
When you run across foods that you don't think you should have, do you shield your eyes for fear of wanting to touch the food? Or can you resist temptation despite viewing the food?
When I first started to eat better, I would walk into fast food places and donut shops and stare at food. I found staring at it for a few minutes helped me overcome the temptation of wanting the food.
That might not be typical behavior. Usually, if you look, you want. Somehow, looking and yes, staring, helped me psyche out the food, or psyche myself up. I almost felt as if I were taunting the food, though for decorum sake, never stuck out my tongue.
Looking is one thing, like from the outside. Smelling the food from the inside proved more difficult.
The initial power I got from looking but not consuming wore off after awhile. Not that I gave into temptation; I just stopped going inside to look.
I do find with foods where I can look — but not smell — that I gain power over the food. Not perfection, but most of the time.
Food appreciation is really about the 5 senses: look, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Frying bacon has an unmatched sound. You can be tempted to use 4 of the 5 senses and still not make an impact on your waistline. Taste is the only one that ultimately pays a price.
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