You have four different bread options with varying protein content; which would you choose? Ideally, the one with the most protein per gram, correct? That was easy, right? Now, say that you have eight different options instead; some of them are multigrain, whereas others are wholewheat-based. Is this an easier choice now? Probably not. For the sake of argument, let's say you pick the 50 g multigrain loaf, but later you don't enjoy the texture and the taste of it; what then? Do you now pick the highest per gram wholewheat variant or the second best multigrain variant?
Paradoxically, as we learned more and had more options, the decision became harder. Why did this happen? Because while our pre-consumption metric of comparison is protein per gram, the metric that our experiences are built on is still the taste and texture of the bread we have enjoyed in our past.
What's the fix? Three options: you can control two of them, but the third one depends on external factors out of your control.
They are:
- Prioritise taste and texture over nutrition.
- Prioritise nutrition over taste and texture.
- You have a preference, but what you want isn't available, so you choose the best available option.
Options 1 and 2 are straightforward; they are exactly what you want. The third, not so much. And while you're pondering the third option, you just stumble upon the fourth option, which wasn't under consideration before. What's that? You think, "Let's just not have bread today"! Voilà, you don't have to go for the third option anymore, the one you never wanted to pick.
And so you choose Option 4, "Let's not have bread", just to arrive at another question: "What do I have instead of bread?"
I'll let you all know when I figure that out: Peri Peri Sautéed Mushrooms sounds nice right now!