Boris on Question Time

Healthy eating. It’s something everyone knows they should do, but few of us do as consistently as we would like. The purpose of this guide is to share practical strategies for how to eat healthy and break down the science of why we often fail to do so. Check out the latest Exipure reviews.

Now, I don’t claim to have a perfect diet, but my research and writing on behavioral psychology and habit formation has helped me develop a few simple strategies for building and strengthening a healthy eating habit without much effort or thought.

You can click the links below to jump to a particular section or simply scroll down to read everything. At the end of this page, you’ll find a complete list of all the articles I have written on healthy eating.

I. The Science of Healthy Eating

  • Why We Crave Junk Food
  • How Food Scientists Create Cravings

II. How to Make Healthy Eating Easier

  • The Importance of Environment for Healthy Eating
  • How to Eat Healthy Without Noticing
  • What Should I Eat?
  • Two Simple Ways to Eat Healthy
  • How to Eat Whatever You Want Without Feeling Guilty

III. How to Stick to a Healthy Eating Habit

  • Address the Root Problem of Unhealthy Eating
  • How to Say No to Temptation
  • This One Phrase Will Help You Eat Healthy Time After Time
  • Where to Go From Here

healthy eating

I. The Science of Healthy Eating

Every nutritionist and diet guru talks about what to eat. Instead, I’d like to discuss why we eat the way we do and how we can change that. The purpose of this guide is to share the science and strategy you need to get the results you want.

Now, the benefits of good nutrition are fairly obvious to most of us. You have more energy, your health improves, and your productivity blossoms. Healthy eating also plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy weight, which means a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart problems, high blood pressure, and a host of other health ailments. (Genetics also plays a significant role. I’m not some crazy person who thinks genes don’t matter.)

But if there are so many good reasons for healthy eating, why is it so difficult to actually do? To answer that question, we should start by learning why we crave junk food.

Before we talk about how to get started, let’s pause for just a second. If you’re enjoying this article on healthy eating, then you’ll probably find my other writing on performance and human behavior useful. Each week, I share self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research through my free email newsletter.

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Why We Crave Junk Food

Steven Witherly is a food scientist who has spent the last 20 years studying what makes certain foods more addictive than others. Much of the science that follows is from his excellent report, Why Humans Like Junk Food.

According to Witherly, when you eat tasty food, there are two factors that make the experience pleasurable.

First, there is the sensation of eating the food. This includes what it tastes like (salty, sweet, umami, etc.), what it smells like, and how it feels in your mouth. This last quality — known as “orosensation” — can be particularly important. Food companies will spend millions of dollars to discover the most satisfying level of crunch in a potato chip. Food scientists will test for the perfect amount of fizzle in a soda. These elements all combine to create the sensation that your brain associates with a particular food or drink.

The second factor is the actual macronutrient makeup of the food — the blend of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that it contains. In the case of junk food, food manufacturers are looking for a perfect combination of salt, sugar, and fat that excites your brain and gets you coming back for more.

Here’s how they do it…

How Food Scientists Create Cravings

There is a range of factors that scientists and food manufacturers use to make food more addictive.

Dynamic contrast. Dynamic contrast refers to a combination of different sensations in the same food. In the words of Witherly, foods with dynamic contrast have “an edible shell that goes crunch followed by something soft or creamy and full of taste-active compounds. This rule applies to a variety of our favorite food structures — the caramelized top of a creme brulee, a slice of pizza, or an Oreo cookie — the brain finds crunching through something like this very novel and thrilling.”

Salivary response. Salivation is part of the experience of eating food, and the more a food causes you to salivate, the more it will swim throughout your mouth and cover your taste buds. For example, emulsified foods like butter, chocolate, salad dressing, ice cream, and mayonnaise promote a salivary response that helps to lather your taste buds with goodness. This is one reason why many people enjoy foods that have sauces or glazes on them. The result is that foods that promote salivation do a happy little tap dance on your brain and taste better than ones that don’t.

22 thoughts on “Boris on Question Time”

  1. I’m looking forward to this programme, but where are the big Labour guns prepared to face him? No Ed Balls? No Miliband,? No Mandelson or Alastair Campbell? Too hot to handle is he guys, what a shame! I bet Boris would take on all of you together, given half the chance.

    But I have probably got it wrong and you are all unavoidably detained.

  2. Boris, try to resist the temptation to smack Dimbleby around the smug BBC-liberal chops. Better still, don’t resist the temptation. I’m sure you have mayoral immunity with the borders of Greater London (after all, Ken did).

  3. @Tiresias: i’m sure Boris is above such acts of violence, he’ll probably do more damage by showing the public what a decent intelligent man he is, who actually has got the public’s interests at heart.
    Although… i wouldn’t hold it against him should he run him down on his bicycle after the show…. GO BORIS! 🙂
    I for one shall definitely be tuning in , in fact have the vcr ready and waiting 🙂

  4. Time they rolled out the big-guns, take no prisoners Boris, and speak for the rest of us. Hate crime registers for 10 year olds and portable fingerprinting devices… I despair!

  5. @Tiresias: I’m sure Boris Johnson won’t smack Dimbleby: like Boris Johnson, while at Oxford Dimbleby was a member of the Bullingdon Dining Club.

    We all know from evidence elsewhere that public-schoolboys tend to stick together and network for mutual advantage long after their school or university days.

  6. How sad to see Michael Foot, a signpost throughout his life, pass away.

    He contrasts sharply with Boris Johnson: more of a weather-cock flying this way and that for political gain.

    One strongly suspects such a man would have been far too spineless to introduce the congestion charge, for example.

  7. oh dear god where can i start .
    Firstly were all the conservative supporters refused entry to the audience?
    I think so!
    Question time should be called “question boris time!”
    (must add saddened to see boris sporting a haircut 🙁 )
    The debate (pah!) team they dragged up through the back streets of of labor sleeze, did none but oppose everything boris said!
    Mr dimbleby though, im guessing had not foreseen the support that we saw from Carol (bless her soul) Vorderman. Thank you carol at least someone other than our mayor showed some sense in the infuriating hour long bullying of poor Boris!

    On the subject of donations Boris stated that no party should be allowed to ” bathe in the odor of sanctity” a fair point. Although the bitter petty panelists took this particular quote and continued to repeat it and in so doing were basically ridiculing Boris in a most under handed manner.
    i ask do we want these parties represented by these petty bullies running our country?
    or do we want a party which as we have just seen, the others are only able to enter an argument with should they out number its representative?
    It makes me laugh the way ‘lord’ adonis was soooooo confident while putting boris down, due to the baying hounds and vultures backing him up, but when it came to himself being questioned well … i almost threw the poor man some armbands , where as Boris sat there and took all, did his best to provide answers, even while under the harshest of questioning… adonis was gasping for air drowning in the simplest disagreement to his statements!

    Will self…… my remote control is now broken ! i shall be writing to you for compensation! I’m just glad i was throwing it at the old television not the HD!
    This man took it upon himself to interrupt at every damn opportunity!
    And Boris being the bigger man decided not to contest this but to sit back and smile.
    We understand, and think much more of you for not rising to the bait of a man who has no real reason to be sat at a table of debate let alone anywhere next to yourself!
    Will self described the conservatives as a “seedy little crew”
    Sorry just a second i must answer that……
    ok that was a call for mr kettle from a mr pot i believe he was calling you black!
    (dear god give me strength)

    Adonis began to target william haugue next saying how he was unable to deal with foreign policy.
    To which the voice of reason replied “oh rhubarb!”
    Much more servings of rhubarb later good ole C.V sticks up for the Tories
    “i hate to listen to politicians picking at each other over technicalities” upon being witness to more of the rabbles victimization of our mayor and the conservative party!

    By now Boris could not believe what was going on ( or should i say he could but was just laughing at the though of how they needed such a large group + audience to dare to oppose the conservatives!)

    Will self as always interrupting “i pity politicians”
    Boris quite intelligently replied that he was glad and that the main aim of him being there was to earn pity and he had achieved that!
    GOOD ON YOU BORIS!
    pity politicians… I pity will self’s mirror in the mornings! poor thing must be shattered!

    Boris made good points upon the lack of funding for the foreign warfare carol backing this up. She also stated how we do not even know whether brown supported the war or not although he still continued to sign cheques to support it!
    (in invisible ink no doubt!)
    Carol then proceeded to interrogate adonis and we once again witnessed him drowning in the paddling pool of questioning.

    Boris has another go at trying to voice a real opinion and d.d decides to interrupt rudely.
    (and the guardian has accused the conservatives of bullying!)
    Then when an audience member addresses boris upon the development of tfl d.d stops boris dead in conversation and says that is nothing to do with what they were talking about!
    Once again Boris takes the upper ground and smiles instead of rising to the very tempting bait cast out by these amateur fishermen that call themselves a panel!
    Then an audience member decides to join in from the safety of the other side of the room and targets boris stating he is “baffling on” .
    I would like to see that particular member of the audience sit in the same situation, i wager she would be baffled by the constant interruptions and lack of support, she would probably lose her voice completely. Making a passing remark from audience and wearing a smug smirk does not make you look big, no my dear , you just added to the respect we all hold for Boris for putting up with your nonsense!

    We did not see much action on the front of the venables question.
    Just a general view that it would not benefit the public to know why he was sent back to prison, although everyone sort of felt that the parents of Jamie Bulger should be able to gain access to this information (should it benefit/help them or not).
    Then on to televised elections.

    This quickly once again began to evolve into an attack on the conservative party (what a surprise-didn’t see that one coming).
    S.W seemed strangely supportive of the televised elections hmm…. i do wonder why …could it be … maybe… that the backing singers of nick clegg’s multiple handed songs had the most to gain from this?
    If we ponder the reason to this however… this is the only opportunity the lib dems have to express their views and attempts at policy, had they had something of any importance to say … im sure the media would of given them more airtime prior to the election debates.

    Then (yawn) once again Will self puts his 2-bit excuse of input in….
    “you couldn’t insert an anorexic cigarette paper between the between the three parties”
    Well actually i agree with you there Will being as not many cigarette papers have gained the ability to eat , let alone the emotions involved to lead them to an eating disorder!
    Yes..yes i know will just an expression well i am only exercising my right to free speech as you seemed to have done , all too freely!

    Boris spoke of the failures of the P.M and how the labour party were unable to “plunge the dagger into the back of gordon Brown” including that of lord (very wrong use of this particular surname) Adonis, the man is far from matching the true meaning of Adonis 🙂

    Then Boris finally speaks up while another panel member is talking, and well how rude can you possibly be to interrupt one of the group of labour loving cackliling hags. Boris was told by D.D to restrain himself.
    (my remote control bore the brunt of this once again)
    Oh! but its perfectly acceptable for the rest of you to interrupt so often that Boris can barely finish a sentance let alone a statement!

    Then… ha ha ha… W.S makes an uneducated remark in regards to the bullingdon dining club…
    ..Boris states quickly “dimbleby is a bullingdon man!”
    Which surprise surprise gets ignored by the rabble , who posses something far more than what the bullingdon dining club (which is the only ammunition the 2 l’s seem to have in this losing battle against the conservatives as of late!)has been associated with!
    Yes Boris was a member.. old news guys… what no one cares to remember is even while in the club he showed excellence in his time at oxford and was one of the most charismatic, popular students at the damn university!
    Not to mention he looking rather good in tails to boot!
    I doubt the particular outfit would of consented to being seen upon will (thinks..far..too..much..of..him..) self!

    So in conclusion..
    Boris was thrown to a group of lions with only carol vorderman to defend himself!
    After a long hard battle we saw him defeat the force of the small minded carnivorous by climbing onto the platform above them. And even though the ravenous beasts were aided by both numbers and the petty temptations they continually placed before our gladiator.
    They were the ones sentenced to death by their appalling underhanded tactics.
    Leaving Boris with the ability to walk away with his pride, intelligence and the full support of us, the real audience.
    And in doing so revealed the petty flaws of the narrow minded parties that opposed him!
    J.D.F

  8. sorry just re-read ..mis qouted boris…“plunge the RUBBER dagger into the back of gordon Brown”.
    And also a double between on a w.s quote but thats of no real importance! 🙂

  9. Janina, hear, hear, well said, agree with every single word you have written.

    http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/biased-dimbleby-is-a-joke/

    It would have been fairer if David Dimbleby had sported a Labour T shirt or at the very least a huge Labour rosette. Why call it Question Time? A more apt title would be “Labour Time”.

    Boris made so many good points and I wholeheartedly agreed with Will Self and Boris about the way to treat Ian Venables who has just returned to prison after breaking the terms of his freedom. We should not demonise Thompson and Venables, appalling though their crime was. They have to live with the knowledge of what they did every single day and live also with the knowledge that they are deeply hated. I am not making excuses for the dreadful murder they committed, the whole thing is heartbreaking.

    Don’t worry Janina, Labour really fear Boris. They know how brilliant and popular he is, and what brilliant communication skills he has. It was really funny when he pointed out that DD was a Bullingdon man, really droll, and he also got the point in that DD treated him in exactly the same way when he was running for Mayor, cutting him off all the time and planting people in the audience to be rude. Pitiful.

    They are just jealous and they know what a huge threat he is because Boris dares to be truthful and take the fight to them and they just can’t stand it. (Also people love him.) So BOO to the jealous Labourites!

  10. I must have watched a different version of the programme to that described by dear Janina.

    Boris failed to answer anything about the policies of his party, other than to propose opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, fobbed off the sleaze question by admitting that his lot were bad, but so were all the rest.

    Mr Self seemed to have the monopoly on reason and honesty.

    There is no difference between the major parties. They are struggling to cope with the failed legacy of market forces without being prepared to do anything significant about it.

    We have the choice between being radical and divest ourselves of the evils of uncontrolled capitalism, or going for the Daily Mail vote, as personified by Ms Vordermann, who is taken to be intelligent because she is good at sums.

    I know which one is going to win, and am too weary of it to be too upset.

    Boris, you showed yourself full of bluster and no substance. “We have no policies, but let’s just have a change so that my pals get to be in charge”.

  11. Boris Johnson was marginally better than the abject Vordermann, but only marginally.

    Will Self was by far the strongest personality there. Boris Johnson was feeble in comparison.

    A girl asked, “Boris Johnson, why don’t you just say ‘I don’t know’ instead of waffling?”, and that gets to the heart of Boris Johnson: he doesn’t actually know very much of any substance or detail.

    A truly spineless performance.

  12. @Vicus Scurra: >There is no difference between the major parties.

    On that subject Will Self did have a most amusing quote when he said “there is barely an anorexic cigarette between the parties” !

  13. Firstly to Angela , thank you very much for your response it is very much appreciated, and is nice to know that others feel the same! 🙂

    @Vicus Scurra: The bbc seem to have no other news today than that of ‘question boris time’
    But in case you had not noticed although they have been bias against the only man who seems to give a damn about the public – yes Boris….
    They have also pointed out the fact that ‘thinks to much of him-Self’ was in the wrong!
    The man sat there and fed of the reactions of the audience and being a writer, concocted a set a views based upon what he thought they wanted to hear!
    If we are giving out prizes for acting i believe that he should get the gold!
    The man has infuriated me , should i see his deceitful face again i shall surely go mad!

    At the end of the day he knows full well that he can sit there and play the big man waffling on , sprouting “rhubarb” from every orifice that the human form posses without having to worry about the consequences!
    Boris on the other hand was TRYING TO answer the questions put to him although….
    The tannoy that is w.s’s mouth protested far too much. Not at the actual responses provided by Boris but at the idea of Boris as a person!
    Boris took the upper ground as we would expect him to, and chose not to retaliate to the playground games that the rest of the panel were participating in!

    If you think about it, how many people know who will self is anyway?
    Boris has made a good name for himself and is widely recognized in the world of politics!
    He is also an intelligent , decent man who no doubt has had far more schooling than self’s poor education at the school of ridicule!
    The man proved this by his comment on bullingdon which was made only to give his own ego a boost, as he was in fact intimidated by Boris and his status, and his countless fans ( if we were to compare the supporters of both Boris and self in a simple format, selfs fans would fit in a bathroom with room to swing a cat, whilst the fans of boris would struggle to fit in SOUTH EAST LONDON!)

    Like i have said were it not for the fact he was backed by the bullying board of brainless backing singers that so gladly joined in with his out of tune song. He would not stand a chance against Boris !

    let me add that Carol vorderman did not stand up and preach her intelligence, she was invited onto a panel of a television show, she is not running for P.m, so why target her as if she is? she gave a good argument for any statement she made and did not have to resort to the underhanded tactics shown by the rest of the panel-that is good enough for me!

    WHY IS IT THAT THE PUBLIC ARE SO QUICK TO JUMP DOWN THE THROAT OF A MAN WHO FIGHTS FOR THEIR NEEDS AND TRIES TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES?
    DO YOU SUGGEST THAT HE IN FACT JOINS THE GANG OF GORDON AND TAKES AWAY ALL THE MONEY HE IS INVESTING IN PARKS OVER LONDON , IN IMPROVING EVERY SECTOR OF THE CAPITAL THAT HE CAN, TAKE BACK THE BUSS PASSES FROM THOSE ON INCOME SUPPORT AND ESA, AND CASH THE WHOLE LOT IN FOR A 3RD OR 4TH HOUSE AND LIMO RIDES HERE THERE AND EVERY WHERE ?
    Or maybe he could build a glass pickled onion to sit beside red kens gherkin?
    Maybe even a chip fork who knows the possibilities are endless!

    And yes there is little difference between that of the lib-dems and labour as we have seen as they band together at every opportunity.
    The conservatives however feel no need to indoctrinate the other parties they have their own policy’s and are far from the likes of the lib-labourites!

    My lord what has the world come to?
    Boris if you do ever read this i apologize for the insolence shown by a public you have done nothing but good for, and am on the verge of starting a protest against the evils of lib-labour party that seemed to have formed during question time! I may even pop down to city hall with custom made dartboards for your good self displaying well… the faces of anyone who should oppose you!

    Then again … that is of course only my personal opinion you of course are entitled to think whatever you like , and freedom of speech gives you the right to voice your thoughts, i shall like boris take the upper ground and respect your opinion, all that i have done in writing this is express my freedom of speech so i guess we are even .

    I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day 🙂

  14. @controller: i believe i addressed that point in my first statement…
    Quoting myself…

    “Then an audience member decides to join in from the safety of the other side of the room and targets boris stating he is “baffling on” .
    I would like to see that particular member of the audience sit in the same situation, i wager she would be baffled by the constant interruptions and lack of support, she would probably lose her voice completely. Making a passing remark from audience and wearing a smug smirk does not make you look big, no my dear , you just added to the respect we all hold for Boris for putting up with your nonsense!”

  15. To will self

    “The wise man speaks because he has something to say – the fool because he has to say something”

    -Plato

    i suppose at least w.s actually speaks up though….
    some just mark your comments down??

  16. i think you lot were watching a completely differnt program.

    Carol Vorderman was so far out of her depth it was almost painful. Worst ever performance in question time history. Boris blustered but came out alright, has perfected turning any difficult question into a joke.

    Will Self was fantastic, and I’m so impressed he managed to resist slapping Vorderman during some of her shrill, pointless and confused rants.

  17. Controller, the girl whom David Dimbleby went to and invited to speak was quite clearly a plant.

    This is the technique DD used against Boris in the Mayoral elections. It was clear she was a plant because if you check back there was no question whatsoever that Boris did not know the answer to, nor did he ever waffle. When he asked the girl what question she was referring to, no reply was forthcoming.

    If you are honest, you will admit that far from regarding Boris Johnson in a bad light, David Dimbleby, the BBC and Labour hugely fear him. Why else would Labour have set up Operation Stop Boris, and drafted in Ken Livingstone to help them? http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/i%e2%80%99ll-fight-him-any-place-any-time/

    Boris is way ahead in the betting of his nearest rival to be voted in again as Mayor and Ladbrokes had him as the leading contender in the betting to take over from David Cameron as next Tory Leader, when that time comes. He is brilliant, they know it, and they are desperately grabbing any pitiful chance they have left to try to stitch him up. It is the pathetic machinations of desperate men who are so far beneath him.

  18. @angela: once again the voice of reason!

    God save us from the lib-labourites , i shall remain till death and upon my meet with Zeus (who i have been told has developed conservative tendencies as of late) or a lib-labour Cerberus composed of clegg, brown, and no doubt dimbleby 🙂 a devout disciple of the ‘the peoples politician’.
    Though unlike the sad stories leading to the demise of the christian idol… there shall be no last supper for Boris.
    Should we all be gatherd around a dining table together it will be purely to play wiff waff!
    Boris stands as Theseus in a maze of backward lib dem policies awaiting a labour minator. Although in this case Boris is guided by a gps device
    (much like theseus actually he goes down and straight,never left or right, he may be conservative but stands as an independant mayor)
    and armed with a ruddy great big gun!
    And has pegasus awaiting his safe return outside the maze to rush him back to his duties at city hall- well we cant expect Boris to find and defeat the minator and cycle back all in his lunch break!
    Meanwhile in the lib-labour hq the allotted break for lunch finished half an hour ago but neither of the parties have eaten yet as they cant decide which one of them is buying (well they would use the publics money but they spent it all on various expenses by November and the public have refused their recent application for a crisis loan, as they have failed to pay back the previous 16 budgeting loans.)

    What im trying to say (excuse me i cant stop laughing)
    is boris is far more equipped for government and holds a rather large arsenal of knowledge in reagrds to what it is the people actually want. I know it sounds strange lib-labs but sometimes you have to go out and meet the people to find out what they really think, then again dont suppose you care anyway!
    As long as the pieces of eight keep rolling in, you can sit back being jolly rogers, and send one of your parrots down to number ten, i’m sure no one would notice – until the day comes when the parrot has attended enough meetings of parliament that he starts to mimic the conservatives policies and then well …
    nothing …. go on carry on as you are dont be afraid to send out polly p.m in fact do it as soon as possible the sooner you start speaking like tories the better!

    Now that is what you call waffle my friends!
    Boris can not be accused of the mass attack of metaphor like i have just created !
    So be warned lib-labs either listen to boris or i shall make a point of purchasing every tv station and radio station and constantly preach my anti-lib-lab metaphors to you all!

    The fool doth think he is wise,
    but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. (William Shakespeare)

    “rhubarb”

  19. Janina, I love your passion and sincerity, you are great.

    For some reason, I referred to Jon Venables as Ian, sorry about that.

    May I defend another feisty lady, Carol Vorderman. Carol Vorderman was trending on twitter because of the way she went for Labour on Question Time. Since then, she has received a lot of criticism, and has been called shrill, illogical, off the point, etc. I like Carol Vorderman and she is the one person who has made me think I should like to improve my maths. because she has the gift of simplification and makes it an interesting subject.

    What is wrong in being passionate about politics? I like Carol for that. There is so much apathy around, so much cynicism, her enthusiasm and strong feelings are refreshingly different. She was accused of going off the point because when the topic was Lord Ashcroft, she said she thought Lord Mandelson had some brass nerve criticising the Tory party, after he has had to resign over two financial scandals himself. Good point Carol, and definitely not off the point. Boris said he agreed with you!

    Carry on being yourself, you came over as more natural than the whole Labour party put together.

  20. Hi Boris,

    Thank you for intrducing 60+ concessionery oyster. That’s great. But I have a question. I bought a annual oyster card which ends 31 December 2012. I am about to get my 60+ oyster. I have been told it is on it’s way. So will I get a refund for when I will be holding 60+ oyater and a paid oyster. Nobody gave me a satsfactory answers.Instead refund section fobbed me off without giving me any logical reason. Please reply to my mail. two month’s money is lot for me. Many thanks. Thanks again for introducing 60+ oyster. Regards Debasri

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