The cleaner you eat, the less you enjoy processed flavours?!

ARGriffy
ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
Is it just me? The less processed foods I eat the less I enjoy them. Even down to my protein shake, the false strawberry just tasted horrible today! I guess it's good that I'd rather eat an omlette than a doughnut (same cals!) But it can be annoying when out with friends as it's hard to not look like a food snob in restaurants! !
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,982 Member
    Disagree. I used to compete and the bland "clean" food I had to eat was not that enjoyable. Yes you can spice it up a little, but it's NOTHING like being able to down a pizza and burgers in the mandatory after comp meal binge that most competitors do. People smiling all the way around.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    Yeah, disagree here too.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    Clean is a term that brings up controversy. Means different things to everyone.
    You might not get a good answer. Ground lean chicken in a processed food.
  • Rachel0778
    Rachel0778 Posts: 1,701 Member
    It depends on the food I think. I will always love doughnuts, but after years of scaling back I realized I don't actually like chips or crackers that much. My hypothesis is bringing more consciousness to your food choices make you truly realize what your food preferences are.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Alright alright man its impossible to use any terms on here ! I'll re -phrase, the less artificial flavours I consume the less I enojoy them!
  • Mccmack
    Mccmack Posts: 195 Member
    I like all food and if I don't eat enough calories, I am liable to eat anything. For me it is not about disliking the foods I avoid, it is about getting satisfied without them.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Alright alright man its impossible to use any terms on here ! I'll re -phrase, the less artificial flavours I consume the less I enojoy them!

    I don't think people can really taste the difference between natural and artificial flavors though. Natural flavors are just a way to refer to flavors that come from plants or animals -- but a "natural strawberry flavor" may not contain strawberries at all.

    In some instances, the chemicals in a natural and an artificial flavor may be the same.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    I fully understand what you mean and agree with you. Real strawberries will always taste better than artificial, BUT I will say the strawberries that have the white in the middle (usually huge and pumped up with GMOs) always taste more bitter to me than organic ones sold in farmers markets too.

    I'm not about to get into a GMO debate here, it's just my personal opinion!

    The strawberry "flavor" in some things just taste like you're drinking sugar sometimes.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    Some of those items probably have "natural" strawberry flavor though -- my point is that the "artificiality" of the flavor probably isn't an issue (unless you're using in a different way than usual).

    You may like strawberries, but dislike strawberry-flavored items (whether that flavor is natural or artificial).
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Sarahb29 wrote: »
    I fully understand what you mean and agree with you. Real strawberries will always taste better than artificial, BUT I will say the strawberries that have the white in the middle (usually huge and pumped up with GMOs) always taste more bitter to me than organic ones sold in farmers markets too.

    I'm not about to get into a GMO debate here, it's just my personal opinion!

    The strawberry "flavor" in some things just taste like you're drinking sugar sometimes.

    Totally agree. In the UK it is hard to get decent fruit as we have essentially zero sun so if I get to eat fresh fruit it's like Christmas has come early!
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    But what if it's a homemade doughnut?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    disagree...

    and how are you defining processed foods?

    You do realize that the protein shake that you are drinking is highly processed, right?
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    GMOs help save the world.

    Organic crops help upper class white people feel unjustifiably better about themselves.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    disagree...

    and how are you defining processed foods?

    You do realize that the protein shake that you are drinking is highly processed, right?

    I re-phrased earlier and changed to specify artificial flavours verses natural ones. Believe me I've been doing this for nearly 3 years now I'm nicely educated, i always thought my mum was crazy for saying "the less I eat crisps the less I enjoy them" but I now fully understand!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    If it works for OP, that's great. Since I don't eat "clean" by any definition of that word, I'll never find out.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    disagree...

    and how are you defining processed foods?

    You do realize that the protein shake that you are drinking is highly processed, right?

    I re-phrased earlier and changed to specify artificial flavours verses natural ones. Believe me I've been doing this for nearly 3 years now I'm nicely educated, i always thought my mum was crazy for saying "the less I eat crisps the less I enjoy them" but I now fully understand!

    i eat fresh strawberries and I eat strawberry yogurt and they both taste fine to me, and i have no issues with them..

    it seems you issue is more a "feels one" in that you feel one is bad and one is good, so you have convinced yourself that the bad one tastes bad, an the good one tastes good...just my two cents...
  • alyurete
    alyurete Posts: 20 Member
    Agree. It's interesting to see how drastically taste preferences can change.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    disagree...

    and how are you defining processed foods?

    You do realize that the protein shake that you are drinking is highly processed, right?

    I re-phrased earlier and changed to specify artificial flavours verses natural ones. Believe me I've been doing this for nearly 3 years now I'm nicely educated, i always thought my mum was crazy for saying "the less I eat crisps the less I enjoy them" but I now fully understand!

    i eat fresh strawberries and I eat strawberry yogurt and they both taste fine to me, and i have no issues with them..

    it seems you issue is more a "feels one" in that you feel one is bad and one is good, so you have convinced yourself that the bad one tastes bad, an the good one tastes good...just my two cents...

    Glad you enjoy both, thank you for that imput. I won't try to diagnose any of your issues. Just my two pennies.
  • UG77
    UG77 Posts: 206 Member
    edited February 2016
    From my direct personal experience the more I make vegetables, fruits, and legumes a part of my normal eating routine and avoid processed foods, my sense of taste changes and I get more flavor out of foods that were previously a chore to eat. It gets to the point where foods that I previously enjoyed now don't taste good because they're over powering my taste buds. It's TOO salty or TOO sweet, and the grease/oil just makes me feel ill.

    If you want to argue about it a calorie is a calorie is a calorie but at the end of the day in the real world, for me, eating *kitten* food just proliferates a cycle that culminates in me eating more and more food that I should not eat. Moderation doesn't work for me. Knowing what does work for you is what's important, you can listen and weigh in information from others but ultimately you have to figure out and find that balance that works for you.

    In my experience I feel and perform better consistently when vegetables, fruits and legumes dominate my diet.

    [Edited by MFP Mods]
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    edited February 2016
    UG77 wrote: »

    From my direct personal experience the more I make vegetables, fruits, and legumes a part of my normal eating routine and avoid processed foods, my sense of taste changes and I get more flavor out of foods that were previously a chore to eat. It gets to the point where foods that I previously enjoyed now don't taste good because they're over powering my taste buds. It's TOO salty or TOO sweet, and the grease/oil just makes me feel ill.

    If you want to argue about it a calorie is a calorie is a calorie but at the end of the day in the real world, for me, eating *kitten* food just proliferates a cycle that culminates in me eating more and more food that I should not eat. Moderation doesn't work for me. Knowing what does work for you is what's important, you can listen and weigh in information from others but ultimately you have to figure out and find that balance that works for you.

    In my experience I feel and perform better consistently when vegetables, fruits and legumes dominate my diet.

    If I were more succinct, this would have been my opening post. It's like your inside my head, thank you for putting it so clearly for me! Yes, this. Especially the cycle of processed (fatty) food, and the change in taste with more percentage of fresh fruit and veg. I also find the longer I'm out of a fatty cycle, the more amazing, beautiful and varied cooking I do too which again helps boost the motivation to fuel myself correctly. FYI, ive not been ill in 2 years, I no longer have ashma and zero heart palpitations so the cycle is definately beneficial for me.

    [Edited by MFP Mods]
  • Tofuli
    Tofuli Posts: 79 Member
    I agree with this. Its a good thing!
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Is it just me? The less processed foods I eat the less I enjoy them. Even down to my protein shake, the false strawberry just tasted horrible today! I guess it's good that I'd rather eat an omlette than a doughnut (same cals!) But it can be annoying when out with friends as it's hard to not look like a food snob in restaurants! !

    I have found it to be true for me. I have had to restrict highly processed foods and most restaurant foods due to health issues. On the few occasions that I give in they don't taste the same as I remember them tasting and I find that I don't enjoy them as much.

    I try not to be a food snob when it comes to other peoples food. I am usually too busy trying to figure out the best options for myself to worry about what others are eating. To be quite honest...if not for health reasons I would probably be eating those other foods.

    I understand about the "flavored" stuff. I was never fond of those types of things except for raspberry iced tea...well...maybe chocolate milk (only certain brands).
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    This is just my opinion, so please don't feel free to pile on..........I'll be the different one here...I agree with you completely. I actually can't stand the taste or smell of pizza or McDonalds, anything coming out of a box smells funny and tastes much more bland than the food I prepare.....and my body much prefers whole foods to foods that have fillers or preservatives. I'm leaner, stronger, healthier and happier than I was when I used to "wolf down pizza" and burgers and such. My hubby eats take out during the week, and my prepared food on the weekend. Guess which one he prefers?
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    edited February 2016
    UG77 wrote: »
    From my direct personal experience the more I make vegetables, fruits, and legumes a part of my normal eating routine and avoid processed foods, my sense of taste changes and I get more flavor out of foods that were previously a chore to eat. It gets to the point where foods that I previously enjoyed now don't taste good because they're over powering my taste buds. It's TOO salty or TOO sweet, and the grease/oil just makes me feel ill.

    If you want to argue about it a calorie is a calorie is a calorie but at the end of the day in the real world, for me, eating *kitten* food just proliferates a cycle that culminates in me eating more and more food that I should not eat. Moderation doesn't work for me. Knowing what does work for you is what's important, you can listen and weigh in information from others but ultimately you have to figure out and find that balance that works for you.

    In my experience I feel and perform better consistently when vegetables, fruits and legumes dominate my diet.

    This...Me too!

    [Edited by MFP Mods]
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    :)
  • FussFreeFitness
    FussFreeFitness Posts: 12 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Disagree. I used to compete and the bland "clean" food I had to eat was not that enjoyable. Yes you can spice it up a little, but it's NOTHING like being able to down a pizza and burgers in the mandatory after comp meal binge that most competitors do. People smiling all the way around.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    Agreed! I feel like the more strict and "clean" a diet gets, it can make SOME people more susceptible to binge eating and creating unhealthy relationships with food.

    At the end of the day a calorie is indeed, a calorie and I feel it is best for people to find out what works out for them long-term (ie lifestyle changes). If you can eat clean and strict forever and ever, no harm in that. If you feel you can't live another day never having a slice of pizza again, figure out how to make that work best.

    I personally have to have a piece of candy or a bowl of ice cream every few days, but still see crazy good results.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    When I was pregnant I quit all artificial sweeteners because my OB told me to. Since then (my daughter is 8, I can't have them anymore, and I was using them sparingly from 11-25 years old!

    Otherwise, most things like canned sauces (marinara, alfredo, enchilada, queso) taste funny.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    This is just my opinion, so please don't feel free to pile on..........I'll be the different one here...I agree with you completely. I actually can't stand the taste or smell of pizza or McDonalds, anything coming out of a box smells funny and tastes much more bland than the food I prepare.....and my body much prefers whole foods to foods that have fillers or preservatives. I'm leaner, stronger, healthier and happier than I was when I used to "wolf down pizza" and burgers and such. My hubby eats take out during the week, and my prepared food on the weekend. Guess which one he prefers?

    generally curious, so you don't eat pasta or rice out of a box then?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Disagree. I used to compete and the bland "clean" food I had to eat was not that enjoyable. Yes you can spice it up a little, but it's NOTHING like being able to down a pizza and burgers in the mandatory after comp meal binge that most competitors do. People smiling all the way around.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    Do you still disagree now that she has clarified that she is talking about artificial flavors?