Imagine chocolate

February 21, 2013

A study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers shows that when we imagine eating a certain food, it may reduce our actual consumption of it. Researchers found that people who were asked to imagine eating the most M&Ms actually ate significantly fewer than participants who were asked to imagine eating less or none at all. (Carnegie Mellon University Science)

A pair of snug shorts and reasonably demure bikini top make up my typical attire. It is once again over 100 degrees here and while I imagine scarfing a lot of M&Ms, in reality drinking over eight tall cool glasses of water daily. Since M&Ms are not available here let alone in large quantities I am grateful to be made aware of the above study. If I close my eyes it is relatively easy to recreate the rich brown, cheery red, brilliant yellow and not-so-subtle blue of the smooth round shells covering a thin layer of chocolate and crunchy peanut.

With soft bread and creamy cheeses as a big part of our diet for both breakfast and dinner I’ve “found” the majority of the weight I lost while in the hospital and recovering at the farm in Registro. “Diet” is not in my vocabulary and fresh salads fixings are not always a priority in this house so I focus on fruits and more water to absorb the bread and cheese. A wide selection of low caloric foods are not so popular in this country and I have never been a fan of them anyway. More often than not, when I experimented with diet items in the past, I suspected the packaging would be tastier than the food product itself. Rumor has it that the diet foods are better than they used to be…where have I heard that before?

Ditching most of my clothing I packed from the States to make room for the gifts I bought for family and friends as well as a few items to sell. Lightweight fabrics and minimal coverage make the humid air bearable. Even cotton shirts become heavy and an unwelcomed burden over my sweaty shoulders. Panties is washed in the shower daily and hung out on the line to dry overnight so they too are getting pretty ragged and will have to be tossed. Flip flops are the most comfortable footwear, more practical than leather sandals on the sandy streets. My hair is always tied up and around my head like Princess Leia though not quite as elaborate nor fashionable, can’t reach behind me to perfect the braid! Oh where are those stand-ins when you need one?

Hot and sticky so I will have to imagine myself submerging in the little pool out back, out of the line of fire of the construction workers a few feet away!