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| Thursday, July 24, 2008 |
| A ‘Sensei’tional Food Experience |
 I went to Montréal last month and I was a bit anxious to see how the city had changed in the past eight years. I was actually worried that my home town might have lost some of its European “cachet” or flare. I was pleasantly surprised to see how extremely nice and polite people were, and that I was addressed so formally in restaurants and stores. Mind you I left Montréal 12 years ago, so maybe I look “older” or more “respectful” now, but it was nice to be addressed that way. I was also amazed at how courteous drivers were towards pedestrians and cyclists. One has to understand that Montréal is a very “cyclist” friendly city. There are bicycle paths everywhere and even more, cyclists have their own lanes in some parts of the city. The winter is so long over there, that as soon as one can use their bike, they are out and riding!
But the thing that I was the happiest about, being a Canadian dietitian working in Florida for 10 years was that the portions sizes in restaurants have remained “normal”. I was so afraid to see if our (American) “bigger is better” mentality had reached my old northern backyard. I ate well there and enjoyed many different ethnicities: French, Italian, Fusion, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, seafood and it was all “normal” sized portions served on nine inch plates. Not in a food tray and not piles and piles of food. Some of the French Bistros actually offered two different entrée serving sizes; “Regular” and “Small” with smaller prices to match.
I think this is a great concept and it would be nice to see more restaurants adopting this idea; particularly for women who tend to and should eat less than men, because one size does not fit all. If a meal was served with mashed potatoes, it was just a scoop, not a mountain. But the mashed potatoes were sooooo gooood, with a delicate texture but sinfully buttery. I could have lived on French bread, butter and red wine alone; my three classic “food groups”.
Isn’t it true that you feel better when you don’t stuff yourself? When you finish a dish and it was so good that you could have eaten more, but you didn’t. You remember that meal as exquisite and you felt good after eating it. It was not a meal that you got so stuffed from that could not walk to your car. When you eat good food that satisfies your taste buds, you need less because your senses are thrilled. Don’t just eat to eat, because your body needs food to function. Give your body what it needs to function at its peak while satisfying your brain too. That’s the difference, that’s how one eats less with more satisfaction. And as we all know, our brain controls everything. It’s not our stomach that has uncontrollable cravings, it’s our brain. So if your brain is happy, your stomach will be too!
So try it! Eat something that tastes good to you, chew smaller bites, slowly, and stay mindful of your appetite. Don’t get stuffed. Feel good after eating. Finish your glass of wine leisurely with a nice conversation and get the whole experience.
Bon appétit!
- Josée Labels: Eating Out, Healthy Planet, Josee
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posted by The Sensei Team @ Thursday, July 24, 2008   |
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Josee,
You are so very right! I've been working on controlling my portion sizes when we go out to eat, and am beginning to realize how good I feel when I'm comfortably full and satisfied from eating (relatively) healthy food, as compared to that almost sick feeling of being overstuffed on heavy, greasy food.
The other night we used an old gift card from Applebee's. I had one of their Weight Watchers meals, then treated myself to one of their mini-desserts called Shooters. The key lime pie was tasty, enough to be a real treat but not enough to feel guilty, or overly full! Perfect!
Barb
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Josee,
You are so very right! I've been working on controlling my portion sizes when we go out to eat, and am beginning to realize how good I feel when I'm comfortably full and satisfied from eating (relatively) healthy food, as compared to that almost sick feeling of being overstuffed on heavy, greasy food.
The other night we used an old gift card from Applebee's. I had one of their Weight Watchers meals, then treated myself to one of their mini-desserts called Shooters. The key lime pie was tasty, enough to be a real treat but not enough to feel guilty, or overly full! Perfect!
Barb