Every Meal : The Bowl Trick

The bowl trick that made me eat better.

As someone who's spent years traveling across Asia for work, I've noticed something that completely changed how I think about food.

And honestly? It's embarrassing how long it took me to figure this out.

I was sitting in mall food courts across Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo, just people-watching. Here were some of the leanest populations on Earth chowing down on rice, noodles, and carbs all day long, yet somehow they weren't dealing with the weight struggles we see back home.

My first thought? "Must be genetics." My second? "They probably barely eat anything."

I was wrong on both counts.

Here's what I realized we do that they absolutely don't - We create architectural monuments out of our carbs.

You know exactly what I'm talking about.

That massive mountain of rice on your plate. The ritualistic hole we dig in the center. The ceremonial pouring of dal into that crater. The careful placement of ghee on top, like we're crowning our carb castle.

It's a production and it's completely backwards.

Walk into any home in Japan, Korea, or Singapore during mealtime. You'll never and I mean never see this rice mountain ceremony. They treat carbs like a supporting actor, not the lead character in their meal.

They eat carbs from bowls, not plates. Small bowls.

But more importantly, they follow a rule so simple - Protein first, carbs second.

It's not about restriction. They've made protein the star of the show, and carbs play the supporting role.

Few years ago, I decided to steal this habit completely. Instead, I started following their playbook

→ Protein hits the plate (or bowl) first

→ Whatever vegetables I'm having join next

→ Carbs come last, in smaller portions

→ Everything goes in bowls when possible

I'm not going to lie and say I transformed overnight. But my portions naturally got smaller.

I didn’t stop eating rice. I just stopped making it the hero of every meal.

Maybe it’s time we stop worshipping our carbs...

And start eating like we actually want to feel good after the meal.

Sometimes, the best health tips aren’t in fancy books.

They’re hiding in plain sight.

P.S. Do you eat carbs first or save them for last?

#MindfulEating #SimpleHealthTips #BowlTrick #HealthyHabits

#FoodForThought

Courtesy: Dr. Malhar Ganla