My roommate taught me something I’ll never, ever forget. She taught me the “apple test.” It’s incredibly simple. When you’re hungry, ask yourself one single question: Am I hungry enough to eat an apple? Chances are, you’re not. If you were, you’d devour that apple without thinking about it. But if you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, yet hungry enough to eat a bag of nacho chips, well, that tells you that you’re not really hungry, but rather, your brain is looking for dopamine. I use the apple test as a ritual now, whenever a hunger pang strikes unexpectedly.
