How to Train Your Taste Buds to Enjoy Healthy Foods
I hate peanut butter.
A lot of people think it’s weird, but I often wonder why I hate peanut butter. The rest of my family loves it and puts it on everything…pancakes, pretzels, fruit, popcorn. Everything. So, what’s with my disdain for it?
I have come to the conclusion that I don’t really dislike peanut butter. At one point I may have disliked it, but I bet if I gave it a try today that I would actually love it.
But, what about some other foods that I think I don’t like? Could I actually really like them? I know I could afford to learn to love brussel sprouts and tomatoes, or how about tuna?
The Truth About Taste Buds
The truth is that our taste buds only have a life cycle of 10 days to 2 weeks! During that time, our taste buds die and grow back new. So you could potentially enjoy a food today that you didn’t like 2 weeks ago! A very good reason to try again.
If there was a healthy vegetable that you tried several years ago and didn’t like, give it another chance! You may actually enjoy the spinach now.
How to Train Your Taste Buds
If each time you gain new taste buds you still find it difficult to eat your vegetables, there may be a solution for you!
Research has shown that you can actually train your taste buds to enjoy foods!
One way to do this is to bring out the sweetness of the food. For example, roasting broccoli instead of steaming it will help to pull out it’s natural sugars and make it more appealing.
Another way to train your palate, is to add something fatty to the food. That’s right…cheese lovers rejoice!!
The fatty acid receptors located in the stomach will send a pleasing signal to the brain. So, adding some cheese to the asparagus can actually make it more enjoyable and train you to love (or at least like) it!
You can also train your taste buds to like new foods using social cues. It’s psychology 101: if you correlate the food you’re eating to a positive experience (such as eating it with someone you love or admire) it can actually make the food seem more enjoyable.
So grab a friend or love-interest and give those brussel sprouts a try!
The only way to create a healthy lifestyle, is to make a positive change in the way you eat. Give those healthy foods another chance and train your taste buds for better nutrition.
