If you’re reading this, you’re likely hoping to find a way to eat healthier food. Perhaps you’ve been eating processed food for so long that you’re unsure how you’d make the leap to a refrigerator and pantry filled with colorful produce. It’s little wonder that it’s hard to stop munching chips and sugary snacks when those are the food items that your taste buds have learned to love!
The solution? Retrain your taste buds.
Here’s the good news: you most definitely can give your taste buds a yen for healthier food and wean them away from the sweet treats to which they’ve become accustomed. Just like building up your stamina as you challenge your body to exercise more intensely, it takes time to acclimatize your taste buds to delicious, healthier food. But once you do, be on the lookout for improved health and a better mood!
Here are some tips as you go about shifting your perception of what tastes good and craving good-for-you, healthier food instead.
Take it one step at a time
Start slow. You don’t want to set yourself up for overwhelm by drastically jumping overnight from a daily McDonald’s drive-thru trip to steamed, raw, and healthy. Start working healthier food into your diet while phasing out the unhealthy stuff so that the shift is more gradual. This gives your taste buds time to adjust.
You can make a list of the most unhealthy items in your regular diet and start replacing one each week with a healthier option. By incorporating one healthy item into your diet each week, you crowd out the less healthy food and create room for items that provide you with the nutrition you need. You’ll start to reap the rewards very soon!
Add in more non-starchy veggies
You likely have no problem eating all your potatoes, but how about broccoli or spinach? You don’t have to kick potatoes completely to the curb, but you can focus on putting more greens on your plate. Aim to consume a little less starchy stuff and more leafy greens. For example, you can fill half of your plate with leafy greens or non-starchy vegetables, and use 1/4 of the plate for protein and the other 1/4 for your potatoes.
Start your day with protein and good fats
In the morning, eat lean protein and good fats rather than a sugary doughnut or muffin. Eating sugar in the morning throws your blood sugar levels out of whack and sets the (negative) tone for your day.
Another option is to make avocado toast on sprouted, whole-grain, gluten-free bread for breakfast. Or, if you make chia seed pudding, you can trick yourself into eating something that tastes sweet but doesn’t create a sugar spike. Even a green smoothie made with spinach or kale, along with a handful of berries, will start you off on the right foot.
Look for ways to eat umami
I find it interesting to study other cultures and how they pair their flavors. There’s a lot we can learn from their practices, especially when their population as a whole is healthy–or at least healthier than we are! As we prepare food that meets the criteria of being both healthy and nutritious, it’s good to remember that the tongue is sensitive to five basic tastes: bitter, salty, sweet, sour, and umami. What’s umami, you ask? It’s a savory or meaty type of flavor, often found in broths.
Thai food, for example, hits all the right notes with a balance of several of these flavors. By combining your protein, fat, and complex carbs with a variety of tastes, you’ll steer your taste buds (and your health) on the right path.
Choose smaller meals more often
It can be challenging to stay on track food-wise when you’re bored and hungry at work. A trip to the vending machine gives you something to do when you need a break from the computer and can meet your need for a sweet snack. However, you can make the break work in your favor with healthier food that you bring from home.
A simple way to divert your craving for less-than-healthy snacks is to keep your energy and blood sugar on an even keel throughout the day. The winning formula? Small meals throughout the day. Eating one or two small, healthy meals mid-morning and mid-afternoon will supply steady nutrition when you’re feeling hungry. Don’t feel hungry? Then you don’t need to eat those meals, but having them on hand is a wise step along the way to daily success with healthier food.
Eat more raw foods
Even just munching on crisp, raw veggies will help you get the nutrients, probiotics, and enzymes needed to balance your gut. This simple trick helps your body adjust to healthier food. Luckily, these snacks are the easiest to prepare and take along with you.
For example, a $1.99 bag of organic baby carrots can last you several days as a snack. Pick up some guacamole or hummus to go along with them, and you’ve got an easy, affordable, and healthy snack for when you feel you can’t quite hold out until lunch.
Focus on your meals as you eat
Mindfulness is is a practice that so many of us tend to forget when we’re eating. Other cultures take their time to enjoy their meals, but many of us have unfortunately perfected the art of shoveling food into our mouths while on the go.
Break that cycle by taking the time to appreciate every bite and every flavor. Try for one week to put down your device and be fully be present with your meals. Put down your fork between each bite, chew your food well, and simply focus on slowing down and truly enjoying the experience of eating in all its fullness.
Practice these tips as you slowly shift towards healthier food, and you’ll find that your desire for overly sweet and indulgent foods will fade away in favor of fresh and delicious meals.
Do you struggle with getting your taste buds in line with your goal to eat healthy food?
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