Can you retrain your taste buds to like healthy foods?

Frumpy2Fit

Hello everyone! To make this short and sweet, I have been hooked on junk food for some time now. Anything fried...anything that has a lot of sugar...if it's chewy and wonderful, send it my way! Problem is, I am really trying to work on nutritious eating and I think I may have ruined my taste buds. As I sit here trying to eat a salad that looks delicious -- slices of carved turkey, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, hard boiled egg whites, and a small amount reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, I find myself struggling as my whole body screams, "Go grab something fried! It will taste 100,000,000% better!" For those of you that have been in the same situation...did eating healthy get easier over time? Did healthy food start tasting better? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!!!

ashleybr1980

I have been trying to force myself to eat oatmeal and it just isn't happening for me.

Elen_Sia

It took me almost a month to get used to how my homecooked meals tasted without adding any salt. And I won't lie about how painful the salt withdrawal was. But when I saw how my weight continued to drop every week without fail, I was motivated to keep at it.

I've not had to grab a salt shaker for more than 6 months now. And cooking has become more fun as I experiment with different herbs and spices.

:flowerforyou:

melsinct

Find foods you enjoy. Sure, fried chicken is delicious. So is an in-season fresh tomato sliced up on a piece of whole grain bread, sprinkle with a little salt and a thin layer of mayo. Mmmmm. They are not mutually exclusive- fried food is delicious but so are many healthier options.

The less junk you eat, the less you will crave it. Once you start eating healthy foods the majority of the time, the better you'll feel and the less you'll want the heavy fried stuff. My downfall was a sugary thing in the afternoon at work. I'd usually hit up my office's candy stash. It took a week or two to break me of the habit but now it is easy to say no since I feel so much better without having the highs and lows of the sugar crash.

moriaht

Yes! You can! When I eat only healthy foods my body starts craving them and fried foods are less appealing. Keep it up and you will see

DesireeLovesOrganic

Yes, for sure. I think you have to cut all the crap though, for at least 30 days. There are still some vegetables I hate (yam!) but there are others that I thought I hated that I now like (mangoes, persimmon, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, etc.)

andreanicole686

Yes! The less you eat really sweet and salty foods the less you crave them. Now I can't eat a lot of foods I use to because they are so sweet or too salty.

Devild0ll

Absolutely! I was a sugar-holic and hated veggies, and now I crave veggies! When I look at a slice of chocolate mousse cake (yum! right?), all I can think is, "oh, that would be so gross..." And on those days when I don't agree that it would be gross, and I get it anyway, it is gross after the first bite. Kefir and strawberries for dessert tonight!

I made roasted butternut squash the other day, and was amazed as how sweet it was. Last year, I'd have thought they were mostly tasteless, certainly not sweet. It took a good month to re-adjust my taste buds though.

Behavior_Modification

In short, YES!!!

It is amazing to me how much my taste buds have changed in the past 3 years. I'm certain it will happen for you too, keep at it!

stacey1172

Absolutely. You just need to be patient and keep at it! You'll start realizing that "real" food fills you up and you stay full longer, which definitely helps so you're not craving empty calories

symba1130

Yes! You can! When I eat only healthy foods my body starts craving them and fried foods are less appealing. Keep it up and you will see

Agreed! Yesterday I ate way too many peanut M & M's and was feeling yucky about it. Made a nice healthy dinner, felt better and it really did taste great!

cristaine

Short answer is yes, of course. Anything that you eat consistently, you will soon become accustomed to in time. I hated Greens+ when I first tried it 7-8 years ago, and I adore it now. If I don't have it, I miss it!

Junk food is heavily seasoned (and yummy) to disguise low-quality food (usually). It HAS to taste good, otherwise you wouldn't touch what is in it. trust me, I love it too, but I do know that it is mostly a trick of the tastebuds and it is doing little for me other than satisfying a taste-fix. (And oh how hard it is to work off later) I simply try to make a home-version of whatever it is I am desperate to be eating out when possible. At least I know the ingredients, that they are all fresh and real, and even if they aren't "diet" legal, it is still a step up from junk-food....I just eat smaller portions of the home-made version and replace the rest with fruits and veggies.

It's a process, and a habit that isn't the easiest to build (because it is oftentimes more work!) but it is worth it, and you do grow to appreciate it, in part because you start to feel SO much better in your skin!

Marmitegeoff

Yes it does get easier, I now enjoy a small handfull or rolled oats to chew, a few months ago they had to be cooked in milk and lathered in honey.

meat is now cut small and stir fried in a none stick pan with a touch of oil, along with veg and herbs and or spices.

get to know the herbs and spices they are your friends in this journey.

ahviendha

Short answer, yes!

For me, I grew to love not only the flavor of healthier foods, but the way they make me feel. I feel full of energy. Crappy foods suck my energy, I feel lethargic and sick to my stomach. My eyes say yes but half an hour later my stomach says "NOOOOO why did you do this to yourself!!"

Keep re-training those taste buds! I hear it takes 2 weeks to a month to get them readjusted.

Espressocycle

Yeah, actually I think you can. Give it time.

Yoshima

Yes! I'd do it gradually. Find what you like the most, and eat those things more often. As you eat healthier more often try new things. A little tip: Roasted veggies are amazing. Better than steamed IMO. I bought an oil mister, filled it with olive oil, then lightly spray the veggies, sprinkle with Mrs. Dash, and roast in the oven. They get crispy & caramelized on the outside. I do potatoes (occasionally), sweet potatoes, squash (summer and winter), broccoli, kale, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, cherry tomatoes (these don't get crispy, or I wouldn't want that, either), and more. YUM!

andybhoy72

For 20 years, all I ate was junk. Processed garbage. I detested the taste of veg, salad and didn't like fruit. I genuinely hated the taste - some veggies made me fee like I would vomit.

I did a TFR VLCD (Total Food Replacement), for seven months. I expected to continue to hate veg, but I absolutely love it, and have it with almost every main meal. I now also quite like some salad, and I like fruit (though still rarely want it).

I have been through periods in the last few years where I have returned to junk and gained weight, but am now back on a very healthy lifestyle change, and still loving my veg.

So it can certainly be done; although I would say that you're likely to still like junk, if that iis what floats your boat. I know I do but have managed to break the habit again.

roguestates

Yes, your tastes can change. I've developed a much more sensitive palate. I've been trying to eat within a lower sodium diet and foods that I used to love now taste too salty to me. I've never really had a sweet tooth, but low-quality ice cream tastes revolting sweet to me.

ValerieMartini2Olives

It takes time, but yes, your taste buds will evolve. Don't expect it to happen in 3 days, a week or a month. Give yourself 6 months-year and you will realize how bad bad food really tastes. I used to drink tons and tons of soda. Even thinking about drinking a can of Coke now makes me cringe. I don't think I could possibly handle the sweetness. (Just remember, ONE can of Coke, just ONE, has TEN teaspoons of sugar in it.) Yuck.

escloflowneCHANGED

Yes for sure, I hated greek yogurt but I needed the protein so I forced myself, now I can't wait to have it!

AliceNov2011

I think the key is learning to love to cook and try new things.

Oatmeal? Add 1/4 cup of organic pumpkin, 1 tsp honey, and sprinkles of nutmeg & cinnamon. Delicious!

I eat almost everything on a bed of fresh baby arugula. And I toss it into my shirataki noodles, and saute it into my omelets.

I never, ever eat a plain old salad with fake dressing and fake cheese. I don't think about food in those old "diet" ways.

I roast a giant pan of broccoli spritzed with EVOO, S&P, cayenne & parmesan. Wow!

I cut a fresh heirloom tomato into thick slabs and sprinkle with sea salt or parm and eat it like an apple.

Speaking of apples... I love them now!

Berries, berries, berries! Whatever's in season.

Fish, fish, fish...

I'm from the south and used to eat everything fried and on bread with plenty of tartar sauce and fried stuff on the side. My first (and pretty much only) rule now is "if it's white, it ain't right!" Nothing processed, nothing fried.

And when I'm sitting in front of a piece of whole grain sprouted toast slathered in Smooth Operator peanut butter with a half a banana sliced on top, sprinkled with cinnamon, I can't remember a treat in my whole life as delicious as that.

And that's when I realize I never, ever eat anything I don't love anymore. And therein lies the difference. And that makes me happy.

How exciting to be on an adventure to find out what tastes you love! There's a whole world of them out there. Enjoy! And good luck!

twinmom01

Yes...part of it is cutting out crap so your body breaks it's habit for wanting it. The other part is finding foods you enjoy eating.

The second part is the biggest thing...you may have to experiment with different cooking methods to see what may work for you. I have found over time I ADORE acorn squash - so yummy...also I never thought in a million years I would eat brussel sprouts...but a friend of mine cut them, tossed them with some EVOO, sea salt and cracked pepper and roasted them in the oven...YUMMM

The big thing for me was going ahead and trying new things...and some things a few different ways...

Williamj

I read a study in some psychology magazine that you can train your taste buds. They suggested that you pair foods you don't enjoy with foods you do, and it takes about 20 meals.

I used to loathe oatmeal but now I eat it almost everyone morning.

ShaneWinston58

Yes, your taste buds can change to like foods or dislike foods when you have the foods or don't have the foods. It takes about two weeks to start the tasting change, but the more you stick with it, the more you can train your taste buds.

semhe

I found that after a few weeks of eating healthy, its all my body wanted, and junk made me feel yucky. There is healthy junk food tho... its all about making smart substitutions

sweetteacher123

You can retrain your taste buds and your stomach. Those foods will always taste good to you, but the more healthy options you try, the more you will like those options. Keep in mind, healthy options can be flavorful, also. Spice up your healthy food with spices, seasonings, herbs, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, fruits, and veggies. Just because it is healthy doesn't mean it is bland, and that's a mistake that many people make. You can also retrain your stomach. What I mean by that is after eating healthy for a long period of time, though the fatty food may taste good, it will make you almost feel ill. I spent a weekend out of town and ate whatever I wanted all day on Saturday. I still felt sick Sunday morning from the larger portions and the fatty, rich food I ingested. It takes time though. Keep working hard!

Frumpy2Fit

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful replies!!! It's very motivating to hear that it is possible. I sat here with my salad in front of me for over an hour and ended up eating almost the whole thing, and now I am soooo full!!!

Flixie00

I saw a TV programme some years ago which stated that you can train yourself to like a food by making yourself eat the food 10 times, and at the end of the trial, you are likely to end up liking the food (the idea was proposed to get kids to eat greens). I tried this with salmon, and it is now one of my favourite foods.

areufnkiddingme

Oh yes- I have the same problem. But, if you stick with it, fried, sugary, and overly salted foods will begin to taste greasy and far too filling- and your BODY will feel the difference as you digest, too. Soon, heavy foods will feel that way and you will begin to crave your salads just to clean out!

needamulligan

I really do think it is an addiction to junk food. The more you eat, the more you crave. Drink lots of water, eat healthier food that tastes good to you and you will "detox". Certain foods used to trigger a binge for me (including diet pop). I haven't experienced that in nearly 3 mos. Eating lean protein helped me and I see you are trying that. Give it time! Good luck!

Alpina483

I don't know. Hunger is the best condiment, as they say. Whenever I don't feel like eating cold unsalted porridge, I know I'm not hungry yet. After a proper workout... bring it on

Just an example. Not saying that food should be disgusting or anything.