Healthy Eating: Color and Presentation Matter.

Does the way our food look matter?  It certainly must, in that many foods contain harmful dyes used to add a pop of eye catching color. Cereal, jam, noodles, soup you would be shocked to know what goes into these foods to make them more visually appealing. We truly tend to "eat with our eyes first" but this doesn't have to be a bad thing.  I got to thinking about this today around lunch time...shocking I know.  Growing up my mom always made sure that the dinner plate had a variety of colors on it, which I found quite odd.  Turns out it wasn't some bizarre Norwegian maxim.  In fact, some guy (the director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, no less) even wrote a book called, "What Color Is Your Diet?".  Go mom.  So, we can eat healthier by making sure that our meals are diverse in natural color and we can take a little time on the presentation (even if it is just for ourselves), so that the feast isn't just for our stomach but for eyes as well.

I love to eat this for breakfast or lunch.  Whole wheat toast, Laughing Cow garlic herb cheese, a slice of prosciutto, topped with an egg, sunny side up.

To add some color; avocado, tomato, and basil.

I find that I eat my food slower when it is pretty to look at.  Not surprising in that beauty often causes one to linger.