For dinner, I baked myself a block of tofu and some asparagus to eat alongside some of the other night's leftover pasta.
To prep the 'fu, I simply pressed it between two plates for about an hour before slicing it thinly. I put it on a baking sheet with the asparagus, then drizzled everything with olive oil and some sea salt & pepper before baking it at 400*F for 25 minutes.
And topped with salsa for a kick! Afterwards, I had a sliced apple and a serving of Lindt mint dark chocolate. I'm so happy that dark chocolate is back in my life- it really is my all-time favorite dessert!
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This afternoon, I settled into a comfy chair and caught up on my parents' issues of Nutrition Action. It's a small monthly newsletter that we've been receiving for years, and although a lot of the information is pretty standard, there are always a few gems. For instance, this month's feature article discussed the influence of external cues on our eating habits.
I'm a nerd about this kind of stuff, but I found the article fascinating. Basically, it said that we're all subconsciously affected by other factors when we eat, no matter how "mindful" we believe ourselves to be. Studies have shown that dozens of factors affect what and how much we eat, even when the subjects have been well informed about the study's purpose and hypothesis beforehand. Fascinating, right?
The most interesting point to me was about how women unintentionally mimic other womens' eating habits, but not mens'. It can be subtle- for instance, you might eat just a few bites more or less depending on your dining companion's behavior, and you don't necessarily eat the same amount- but people unanimously eat differently with others than alone. I must say that I can definitely see some truth to this; when I'm eating with friends we either both eat relatively healthfully, or we both go all out and enjoy drinks, plentiful bread and dessert. I'm not saying that this is a positive or negative thing, because I think it's more a social behavior than a dietary one, but I still think it's really interesting to consider the way our brains work without us realizing it!
Time to catch my train. See you in New York!
Do you eat differently in social situations than alone? What other factors have you noticed affecting your eating habits?
