If you’ve been following my journey on the Master Cleanse, then you know I’ve been fasting for 9 days so far. Today I decided to end my fast and eat something that didn’t taste like lemons.

Before I get into it, I wanted to share a little story about my “food relativity” theory.

It all Started with Climbing The Great Wall of China…

In October of 2008, my boyfriend and I visited China. My boyfriend being from China, happened to know the cure for jetlag.

No sleeping during daytime.

Hmm, works in theory, but if you’re trying to switch over your internal clock from 3am to 3pm, you’re going to want a nap.

No problem! My boyfriend decided to do one of the most exciting things that does not allow time for naps.

Climbing the great wall of China, of course!

So here we are, climbing this massive and might I add very steep wall… and getting hungrier by the minute.

We ate some fruits before we started the climb, but by the time we reached the top we were completely famished. (The top is also a relative concept. The Great Wall keeps going and going, much like a certain bunny.)

Luckily, this story ends well. With a little forethought and planning, we were armed with two ginormous peaches.

When I sat down to take a bite of that peach, it was pure heaven.

I’d wager it was one of the most delicious peaches I’ve ever had, if not one of the most satisfying meals.

Actually, the peach was so big and satisfying that I could only eat half.

The First Thing you eat after you Break a Fast

Today I experienced a very similar feeling when I ate some solid food for the first time in days.

I’m pretty sure it’s not that I picked the best cucumber, or the best banana in the world.

It’s that I hadn’t eaten, and I was really looking forward to these fruits and veggies. Coincidentally, I felt great chewing and eating that banana and those cucumber slices.

My Food Relativity Theory

After looking over these two experiences and many more similar ones, I’ve come up with a theory.

“The work out and anticipation before you eat determine how good your food tastes.”

If you’ve just swam 30 laps, that post workout smoothie is really going to hit the spot.

After a fast, those few bites of food are going to feel like the food of the heavens.

This can work both ways though. If you just ate a nice full meal, but really want something else… that extra snack might not be as satisfying, or tasty.

I’ve also had the experience of devouring food that I didn’t really like (read: health-nut food) because I was so famished. That was before learning about raw food, now all my “healthy food” tastes pretty darned good.

I truly believe that our body is great at sending us signals, and this whole “food taste/experience” relativity is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce!

Have You Ever Experienced This Before?

I’m curious to know if you’ve ever had a similar experience. Whether you were amazed at how satisfying something was, or you just didn’t like that 6th chocolate chip cookie, let me know!