Eat with your Eyes
The fall season in our area usually evokes images of leaves changing, heartier cuisine and warmer wardrobes. The emotional and cultural associations will the fall holidays are especially visual, Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving tables, more candles and outdoor lighting, fireplaces and flames from cooking meals.
Our transition from summer welcomes a healthy change in physical activity as well as nutrition, and sleeping, being active and what we consume should all be correlated with the time of year. Something we can pay closer attention to during these months are not only the healthy transitions but the aesthetic ones that make wellness more enjoyable. Most impactful is how we present what we chose to taste and if place a priority on how it is presented as much as how it tastes and nourishes us.
Psychologically speaking, it is our eyes not our noses or taste buds that alert our brains to what we perceive and process about our food before we eat. Images of a bright bowl of berries, a deep garnet glass of wine or a colorful salad are immediate triggers for the other senses to follow the experience. If you have eaten a meal in a dark environment or late in the evening outside, you are not only at a loss of the experience, but you may also generally be confused about what you are eating. Notice when there is careful attention paid to plating one’s food, garnishing with herbs or coordinating colors, the experience changes and is even enhanced by how your eyes modify your interpretation of the dish. We usually believe smell is the powerful trigger, but it is what you see that dominates.
Next time you are making a meal, throwing a dinner party, or going to a restaurant, compare how your experience changes. Does food appear to be higher in quality? Is your cuisine elevated? Does it make your desire to eat less about quantity when the meal is more appealing visually? Even the plate is important. Have a little fun with this experiment, and maybe you find yourself styling your food a bit more or having a greater appreciation for those that do.
