Supertasters and veggies

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grelca
grelca Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a supertaster.

And it sucks. A lot.

I've googled a ton on how to eat healthier as a supertaster (because I don't have near enough variety in my diet, and especially not enough vegetables in general), but it seems like pretty much everything out there is only there to tell people what a supertaster is, I haven't found a single thing that attempts to help people deal with it and eat better.

I'm actually going to see a nutritionist sometime in the next couple of weeks, but I'm honestly a little worried that she's going to tell me (on this front, at least) that I have to suck it up and eat more vegetables. The problem is that I've tried that (a ton) and I can't do it. And I feel like that's an important distinction to be made.. it's not that I won't do it, but can't. I once got past the gagging that the lettuce caused and actually swallowed a bite of salad only to almost immediately throw up.

Anyone else have too many taste buds? How do you get more vegetables into your diet?

I feel like the ones I CAN tolerate don't even really count.. Canned carrots. Corn with far too much butter and salt. I can make myself eat very small portions of steamed green beans. I like potatoes. Some tomato products, but not actual tomatoes.

Replies

  • MrsRamseyForever
    MrsRamseyForever Posts: 28 Member
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    I honestly know nothing about your condition (had an idea what it is, so googled to confirm). I am a little intrigued by this because it sounds like it would be a hard thing to deal with. Could you maybe expand on what kinds of foods you ARE able to tolerate? Is it a certain "type" of taste that seems to be hard to handle? Maybe if we know some of the things you enjoy and some of the types of tastes that are just too much for you we could think of some ways to mask the bad tastes (is that possible?) and enhance the good tastes :). Sorry I am not much help but I would like to try to help some if you can expand on the foods you do like and those you REALLY don't. As a mom sometimes I have found ways to hide foods in other foods because of picky eaters (ha, mainly my husband) but I am not sure if some of those tricks would work for you or if it is just not possible to mask tastes when you are a supertaster.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    You may be best with a registered dietician or food psychologist than a nutritionist, depending which country you are in the latter job title is not always regulated.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    Have you tried juicing? If you could use a long straw, maybe you could bypass some of your taste receptors. And maybe if you use carrots as a base, you could get some other vegetables in there - since carrots mask the taste of other vegetable.

    Don't know. But there are bound to be people who treat this - have you tried asking your doctor for a referral to a specialist?
  • samantha1242
    samantha1242 Posts: 816 Member
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    I just did a project on taste and supertasters! It was interesting to see the food items that most supertasters hate.

    What are food items you love? Maybe if you could list those and then people can help you find ways to incorporate veggies into them (such as adding spinach to smoothies if you like berries). Your nutritionist will help too.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    All I can think is juicing and vegetable shakes using a blender, that way you can swallow it as quickly as you can and get more nutrition into your diet. You might be able to add other ingredients to it that are more palatable for you to mask the taste a bit.
  • grelca
    grelca Posts: 10 Member
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    The "nutritionist" I'm going to see actually IS a registered dietician. I know they're different things but I accidentally use the terms interchangeably a lot...

    Anyway some of my favorite things.. I could eat pasta and/or chicken for every meal and be happy. I actually like a lot of fruits (which is apparently not common for supertasters). Excluding most berries, I don't think I've ever come across a fruit I didn't like. I like a lot of cream-based or cheesy sauces or soups.

    I think that generally, the "plainer" the food, the more likely I am to eat it. Some of my friends in high school actually used to tease me and say that I only ate white food.
  • jorankin1
    jorankin1 Posts: 1
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    I, too, am a supertaster. I totally get what you are saying...... I also have food allergies, so that makes choices limited. Lately, I've been buying organic boxed soups (Pacific Organics) and using my food processor to add other veggies to them. I must have the veggies cooked or I can't swallow them (even lettuce will blend up pretty good and then I heat it all in the microwave). I can't eat any fruit, except bananas and pears (allergies), but I mix the bananas in my oatmeal in the morning. You can use pears in any recipe that calls for apples (they are yummy cut up small and microwaved for a few minutes - drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon) I usually have some tomato juice with breakfast too, although I have to add hot sauce to it to get it down :)

    I hate meat, except chicken, which I can eat if I chop it up small and put it in soup. Yogurt is also a good "carrier" for fruit. I can just about get blueberries down if I put them in yogurt. I have tried to add at least 1 veggie to each meal, even if it's just juice. I think you can gradually add things to your diet, but give yourself a little grace as it is terribly difficult to change. I'd love to hear what the dietician says...... Hope this helps!
  • lillyringlet
    lillyringlet Posts: 2
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    I'm a supertaster and it is hellish trying to be healthy! I didn't find out until I was 14 and I am still trying to find ways to be healthy :(

    People always just claim it is being fussy but I gag on food, start shaking head to toe or run for milk (when people tell me it's not spicy).

    I have found that making stuff from scratch is a good way to find what it is that you don't like. I also make food for my partner (he loves veg) so I can try some. I now can eat mushrooms as I can cook them exactly how I can. Going out for food is still really difficult.

    I really struggle though as I can't eat potato - it just tastes like dirt to me and I find fruit is way too rich. I get graze boxes (only available in the uk sorry) as these are little punnets of mixed fruit and seed. I find that I can try their dry fruit and see what I can eat. I personnally can eat their dried fruit but found other places too rich :(

    Going out for food is always hellish as if I go somewhere cheap (and a chain) I can taste the fact that is it jarred or pre-frozen, while expensive places love to over indulge in over the top flavours :( I used to go to Strada and last time I walked out without paying (or eating), as they had recently changed from fresh sauces to stuff pre-made in jars and I gagged. I told the waiter how aweful it was and almost gagged on his shoe when I tried to eat it.

    The number of times I have gone to Christmas or annual dinners and other people have eaten my food is crazy! Been to an annual dinner where I talked to the hotel before hand and sorted out a very bland menu for me... the chef on the day thought "oh all this is too bland... I'll add a sauce or something to it.." the head waitress wanted to hit him around the head but my table loved all the free food as he had to remake my 3 course dinner twice... Apparently "plain vanilla ice cream only" to him was "Strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate sauce"! Or that Plain pasta with a white sauce was pasta in a white sauce with chilli flakes and black pepper...

    I am trying to now do a supertaster blog but it is hard as all supertasters are different!
  • IvyLuci
    IvyLuci Posts: 117 Member
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    I'm not a supertaster so I have no idea what they taste like to you, but the vegetables you listed are all relatively sweet. Maybe try making the carrots yourself, try sweet potatoes baked in the oven, I don't think there is anything wrong with corn, even if it has butter on it, maybe try squash/pumpkins, green peas. Cucumbers are relatively bland.

    Maybe also try to take a vitamin supplement?

    If I take a look at what I eat, I find that it mostly revolves around the same foods, so don't feel forced to go extra wide with your food choices. And there is nothing wrong with drowning your veggies in a good sauce (as long as it fits within your calorie requirements :-))
  • Elizabeth85Jones
    Elizabeth85Jones Posts: 2
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    I do am a supertaster, love to taste more than 4 type of foods at a time. And I don't think it's bad. If you wanna add veggies in your diet then have vegetable soup in breakfast, mix veg in lunch and dinner, which will surely give you healthy life.

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