SHOULD I eat the bread in the bread basket?

When I was living in Hollywood I used to see a nutritionist. She was 86 years old, 5 feet tall and weighed 90lbs. She was fabulous! I vividly remember her advice and the amazing puns she would say like: “better to be foxy not boxy”. I recall telling her once how I really wanted to eat the bread from the bread basket at a restaurant and was it really that bad? Just one piece? Her answer was this: when you are faced with a basket of bread on the table, simply excuse yourself, head to the ladies room, stand in front of the mirror and pull your shirt up. If you like what you see, go back to the table and eat that bread, but if you don’t then skip it!

I never forgot that.

As harsh as this piece of advice might sound to some, I think what she was actually trying to say is: be aware! Key into this! Take pause. Reflect on whether this action aligns with your goals. Don’t be so habitual and reactive. Be curious. Are you really hungry? Do you really want that and not because it’s a “bad carb” but do you really want that bread before you eat a delicious dinner? The idea of removing yourself from the table to lift up your shirt in the bathroom is a bit extreme. Instead, stay right where you are and make your choice because you are capable of making one! Mindless eating is responsible for a lot of bad choices. Tune into yourself and what you really want. Sometimes the choice may very well be: “Yup I sure do want that warm bread!” And if is true then eat it! Enjoy it. Appreciate it. And definitely don’t feel remorse about it.