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January 27, 2026

What You Eat First Matters More Than You Think

If you want fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains to taste better, timing matters.

The first food you eat when you are hungry has the strongest reinforcing effect. That’s when your brain assigns the most reward value to what you eat.

If the first food is pizza or sweets, you condition yourself to want more of those foods.

If the first food is fruit, soup, or vegetables, you condition yourself to enjoy those instead.

These foods help trigger fullness and shape preferences in the direction you want them to go. You can try this at all your meals. 

It’s about conditioning your appetite.

—Keith

KeithAHerman.com

If you have questions or topics you’d like me to address in future emails, you can reply to this message. I read and respond personally to all replies.

Keith A. Herman is the founder of the Expert Diet Project, an initiative dedicated to correcting health misinformation by spotlighting the advice of the real experts.

The Eat Like an Expert Newsletter, the Health & Well-Being Journal, and Keith’s upcoming book, Eat Like an Expert, are all part of the Expert Diet Project. The book is scheduled for release in 2026.

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