Tastes, preferences and food appreciation

Think about your favorite meal or food. What do you love about it? What are the textures and flavors like. How do you feel during and after you eat it?

One of my favorite summer foods is a fresh tomato - cherry, grape, beefsteak...I'll take any variety. The rich and refreshing flavor makes them a treat even on their own. The outer skin is so perfectly vibrant red they almost have a glow to them. Tomato leaves right off the vine have the most beautiful sweet, grassy smell. Anyway, me and tomatoes have an understanding - their texture, aroma, and flavor....

While tomatoes are just one of many foods I love, it's safe to say there's plenty of other foods out there that I don't have the same understanding and appreciation for. However, I aim to keep an open mind and try those foods over and over. I see it as having to "learn" those new flavors and gain understanding about a certain flavor/texture/smell. For example, olives used to be an absolute conundrum to me. I couldn't believe other people enjoyed eating them. It wasn't until I simply began trying them, repeatedly in a variety of meals, that I started to appreciate them! It's not that olives taste "bad" or are "gross" but that I was not accustomed to that the salty taste. I honestly LOVE olives now and even have them as a snack on their own.

This same concept is something most parents may experience when introducing solid foods to infants, or with picky toddlers, or even teenagers. We often see things so clearly with children and want them to try new foods, yet can be unwilling to do so ourselves. It's as if we believe we have an inability to change. But guess what --> While you may have a hard time learning a second language in your 30s, you CAN learn to love a new food. AMAZING!

Now, this is not written to single out the picky eaters of the world, this idea extends to anyone struggling with yo-yo dieting as well. Beginning new eating patterns, (regardless of your goal) can seem daunting. Your mind may immediately think of all the things you have to GIVE UP. However, eliminating certain foods or food groups is not the key.

If you're just starting off on a wellness journey and are looking to eat nutritiously, rather than thinking of foods to say goodbye to, think about all the new meals that can be opened up to you and all the new flavors and textures. Maybe they aren't even completely NEW, but maybe just underestimated. Oftentimes, we just have to retrain our senses to appreciate the simple beauty of whole foods and the amazing flavors they provide. We can actually become desensitized to the flavors fruits and veggies provide from being OVERLY sensitized from excess salt, sugar, or fat. That's not to say that foods high in salt, sugar, or fat are evil and need to be banned. Just know that your tastes DO change, when you begin eating a variety of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis you can actually begin to enjoy it. You MAY even begin to think that some flavors you previously enjoyed, no longer fulfill you the same way (say WHAT?). Salt and sugar are similar in that the less we have, the less we crave.

Now of course I am not saying "Eat vegetables and you'll never crave a Big Mac again". But, you can naturally begin to observe a change in your tastes if you keep your mind open and continue eating a variety of whole foods. This makes learning balance (or moderation) MUCH easier! You can come to a point where you equally crave those nutritious foods as well as the more indulgent. This is a great necessary first step in learning to trust your body without overanalyzing everything you decide to eat. Trust that ALL food (even a simple tomato) is amazing and delicious in it's own right.