Nutrition Nugget: The Three-Bite Rule
Bite-Size Reads for Your Health and Your Waistline
Congrats, you made it through all of the Thanksgiving meals (and leftovers, and then maybe some more again in the morning). Now begins the torture of trying to un-do those holiday indulgences before the next one rolls around, and we do it all over again! Perhaps it even comes with a side of guilt to “help” with the motivation to stay “on track” til the next event?
It’s no secret that holidays are surrounded by less healthful choices, especially with food. As we move on from the Thanksgiving mood and into the winter holidays…including the stress…it’s more important now than ever to learn how to keep splurges in perspective. If you’re in need of reassurance and one of the simplest tools to employ, keep reading for some of the best holiday advice I give my clients and podcast listeners — the three bite rule.
So what is the three-bite rule? This stems from neuroscience which shows us that the only bites we actually taste are the first, the second and the last. I think this is because we’re fully aware of and engaged with our food on that first decadent bite and then second we’re still there, thinking ooohh this is so good. Then we kind of zone out and come back to paying attention, reminding ourselves to savor it when it’s the last bit.
You may be asking the same question I asked when I learned about this: what’s the point of all the bites in the middle? Eureka! That’s the secret! All those bites in the middle are habit, brainless eating, going through the motions, empty calories. So what if we just focus on having three bites of our indulgences?
Use this with your next dessert, each decadent side dish or your next holiday meal. Any time a food choice might stick with us, where we keep thinking about it long after the meal ended, is a perfect moment for this trick. The three-bite rule helps us maintain perspective. With three bites, we enjoy the treats and take these moments in stride, continuing with our health goals. Our progress is not limited by the bumps on the road, but when that bump turns the wheel and we go off the cliff, losing sight of our goals. This is the true challenge for our health.
To take it one step further, ask yourself “How much do I have to have, to feel like I had it?” Meaning, to feel like I had pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, do I have to eat the whole pie? Half the pie? A slice? A sliver? Perhaps, three bites are all you really need to feel like you had pumpkin pie.
As always, feeling confident in our choices is important. If it’s your grandmother’s recipe, you see it once a year and simply must lick your plate clean, do your thing! Just plan on it. And plan what’s next so you keep moving forward. Feeling deprived is a recipe for disaster down the road.
Ultimately, make sure you remain consistent with your goals, pay attention to your choices and recognize that this one holiday meal makes not a lifetime of unhealthy choices…unless we let it. So enjoy that pie, ice cream, or those leftover mashed potatoes and remember to keep moving forward, because the truth is, the future of our wellness goals are not diminished by these occasional indulgences.
