Countdown to Red Cups
What foods do you fantasize about? Is it that juicy steak, with cheesy mashed potatoes? A hot fudge sundae with cookies and cream ice cream, topped with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry? The garlic fries at your favorite baseball stadium (AT&T Park for me, GO GIANTS!) Or how about the Starbucks holiday drinks, like the gingerbread or eggnog lattes? You fill in the blanks. I would be willing to bet that our favorite daydream food items share a common theme, though. I would venture to guess that these foods are out of reach most of the time.... that for whatever reason, you don’t eat these items daily, or even weekly. Starbucks, for example, with all their marketing genius, knows that some of the secret to the success of their holiday drinks is that they are only offered during a specified period of time.
You can almost set your clock by the first social media posts with Starbucks red cups housing their seasonal holiday beverages. Would you believe there is a website dedicated to the count down to said red cups? www.countdowntoredcups.com At the writing of this post, 294 days, 4 hours and 50 minutes stand between all of us and those red cups. That’s right, according to the rumors, November 6th, 2015 is when they will unveil the new drinks. #firstworldproblems
In my last post, we all felt a little smarter as we learned about the science behind habituation and how we can use it to our benefit, or at least stop being a slave to our neuronal impulses and desire for neurological stimulation. Let’s put habituation to work to help us stop obsessing about our favorite foods. If we were to stop saving our favorite foods for special occasions and instead eat them on a more regular basis, we would be doing ourselves a favor by allowing our brains to adapt to these foods, instead of throwing an internal party when we finally allow ourselves to eat them! I put this to the test recently, as I thought my appetite for ice cream was insatiable, meaning that no matter how much or how often I ate it, I would want it just as much. So.... I ate it daily, sometimes twice a day. I ate that delectable Trader Joe’s Mint Chip for snacks or meals when I was hungry. And wouldn’t you know? It lost its allure for me. I still enjoy it, but I am able to stop when I am full and not finish the carton each and every time.
Eating Intuitively* encourages applying this approach one by one to your favorite foods. As these foods lose their hold on you, be prepared for a bit of the emotional let down as these items become less exciting and tantalizing. What will you daydream about now, if not about that amazing dessert or scrumptious treat? The possibilities are endless!
*Tribole, E, & Resch, E. Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2012.