Will I start to like the healthy options?

csj522
csj522 Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am going to be honest, I have been eating so much garbage for so long that those things appeal to me. In my mind though, I am attracted to the healthy, vibrantly colored fruits and veggies I should be eating, but my taste buds tell me that those things are not as good as a good ole pizza.

Does anyone have experience with their appetite slowly changing toward the more healthy choices? Is there hope for me? I am not really a person that feels I can have something every once in a while (or a cheat day) because having something bad every once in a while leads back to all the time. I would prefer to find a tasty satisfying similar item.
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Replies

  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    I never used to eat salads. They taste like dirt. Ick! (And yes I was the lettuce lol).
    Then I finally sucked it up and found a dressing and a few toppings I could tolerate. Now I choose to eat them because they don't make me feel heavy and I have more calories to eat for dinner!!

    Some things you'll learn to like because of the way they make you look and/or feel. :)
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    And also, I still would rather have McDonald's than a salad. But the knowing that I will feel so much better and more accomplished if I eat a salad makes me help make better choices! Most of the time ;)
  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
    It's almost always how they are cooked. Experiment with different recipes.

    I always disliked Brussels sprouts...until I had them roasted with sausage. Now they are a favorite!

    Some veggies you'll find that you don't like alone but you do like them incorporated into a dish.

    As for salads, experiment with differet greens and dressings, too.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    I learned to like the blander, sweeter fruits and veggies, like apples, carrots, lettuce, sweet bell peppers, etc. I also really like stuff like rice and beans now, or pasta marinara, which would have been boring and bleh a couple of years ago.

    Will I ever like kale? Unlikely. Probably won't eat chard, eggplant, zucchini or kiwi either, but I never say never.

  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    I pretty much have a salad everyday, I love them. There are so many different foods you can mix into them to taste amazing. You just have to find what works for you. I used to hate beetroot (ones in jars) but I love it raw shredded into my salad. Same with nuts, I thought I hated all nuts, but once I tried different types I started to love them. It's a learning curve when you first start out wanting to eat healthier foods, so just keep trying different foods and start making up meal plans including them, you'll soon start to love them.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Tastebuds adapt to what you eat, no food is 100% HEALTHY or 100% BAD, you can eat anything you like as long as you get in all the nutrition you need but not too much of anything, and food needs to be prepared well to taste good. It's a lot about changing habits, but even more about changing attitudes. Losing the "shoulds" and looking more into what you really want, can help a lot.
  • NAbramovich
    NAbramovich Posts: 131 Member
    I've tried a million different way of eating -- I went raw for a while; I've tried eating low fat vegan; I've done paleo. And no, I never lost my taste for cheese, bacon, chocolate, pizza or the less nutritious food items that I love. What finally worked for me was doing the things others have mentioned in their replies to you -- finding different ways of cooking vegetables and sometimes eating a salad so I can have room for a heartier meal later. I can eat a ton of veggies if I roast them in the oven with a little bit of olive oil and some salt and garlic (broccoli is really good that way). Curries are a good way to sneak vegetable in. Of course, there are some vegetables I will never eat because I despise them. Don't feel bad just because pizza tastes better to you than an apple. I suspect most of us feel the same way.
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
    There's hope! My tastes have turned to the good stuff over the past 2 years I've been at this weight loss. I really can't stand frozen vegetables now, I only want fresh. In fact I joined a CSA this year and just got my first box of vegetables. It was stuffed with carrots, kale, spinach, lettuce and broccoli. I am now forced to try these as some I haven't had before. It'll be fun :) Try incorporating vegetables a little at a time and eventually you'll crave them. I crave beets all the time for some reason.
  • opalquartz
    opalquartz Posts: 65 Member
    edited June 2016
    I've definitely experienced the shift in taste you're asking about, OP. Growing up we didn't eat a ton of variety in terms of fruits and veggies so there are a lot of new things I've tried for the first time as an adult. As I started trying to incorporate more nutrient-dense foods into my diet (focus on fruits and veggies) I've discovered new foods I really like and methods of preparing them that work for me. And I've started craving fresh fruits and veggies more.

    I would recommend that you try out different spices and different cooking methods for veggies! Roasting is my go-to, most veggies will be delicious if you add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, your favorite seasoning, and roast them on a baking sheet at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Start with the foods that fit your goals that you know you already like, and go from there. And don't be afraid to try new things! If you don't like kale, try swiss chard. If you don't like kiwis, try mangoes. If you don't like one variety of mushrooms try another one, etc. And I've heard that it can take trying the same thing several times before we acquire a taste for it, so keep giving new things a chance!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Oh yeah, you can definitely change your tastes. I would suggest easing into it. Also don't think that those beautiful vegetables have to be eaten plain and/or raw. Experiment with spices and fresh herbs and food combinations. Look for recipes that sound/look good to you.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I have a few thoughts.

    Hubby and I went on a fat and salt restriction for an entire month. I learned a few things. What I was loving in the food was the fat and salt! Salt also hides substandard foods. I found I could not tolerate unsalted vegetables unless they were very fresh. So I now indulge new tastes getting the freshest produce I can find. I also eat it soon after I get it so it doesn't molder in to something unappetizing in my refrigerator.

    When produce is not drowned in fat, salt, or sugar, new tastes emerge and yes, you can learn to love them.

    I also learned I was doing my salads no favours by cutting all fat and salt from them. I have a theory that we prefer foods with that little bit of fat as it helps with satiety. I judiciously measure out my full fat dressing, but I don't eliminate it. The salad tastes amazing, and it keeps me full longer. The same goes for adding a little feta, maybe some olives.....the people of the Mediterranean might be on to something.

    Hummus is so much tastier when fat is added. I realized that adding the fat gives hummus about the same macro breakdown as nuts. This might not be accidental. That little extra fat makes hummus so much more satiating.

    I hear you when you say you aren't very good at including a little "junk food" in your diet, but seriously, pizza has a whole bunch of good things going for it. It's got all the macros, and it's finger food. What if you started loading your plate with a dark leafy salad, with one slice of pizza to the side? I find this meal to be so satisfying and filling.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    edited June 2016
    for my entire childhood life 0-17 i despised onions. I mean if i saw the tiniest onion it was game over. I would eat the breading off onion rings haha. You know in taco seasoning they have the minuscule onions.... yea well id pick them out. Then at 17 I went to a classic french culinary school where onions is basicslly in everything. I was "force" fed because i needed to train my palate. I love onions now and i mean LOVE in all shapes and forms. One thing i havent ever liked is mushrooms though... keep them the *kitten* away from me hahaha.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    The fried/oily stuff doesn't appeal to me anymore, so yes!
  • grayson88
    grayson88 Posts: 4 Member
    I always had a craving for sugar and satisfied it with cookies, cakes, brownies, juices, etc. but when I decided to cut down my sugar and eat fruits and drink water it was difficult at first and I was dreaming of sugary goodness. But after about a week to a week and a half I discovered that my taste for sugar had changed. Grapes and strawberries started tasting really sweet to me and I was loving water and not feeling sluggish and dehydrated anymore. I also started finding water alternatives. For example at Starbucks I always used to order the Java Chip Grande frappacino drink. Now I get the tall shaken passion fruit lemonade unsweetened tea. It is amazing and drinking the lemonade version does add the tart and slightly sweetened taste to it. But best of all it is only 35 calories for the tall! And if I want to splurge and get a venti for double the size it is only 70 calories. And best of all I don't feel guilty after drinking it. Making healthy choices is hard at first but it does get better and eventually makes you feel better and more empowered because you made the choice!
  • fitdaisygrrl
    fitdaisygrrl Posts: 139 Member
    csj522 wrote: »
    I am going to be honest, I have been eating so much garbage for so long that those things appeal to me. In my mind though, I am attracted to the healthy, vibrantly colored fruits and veggies I should be eating, but my taste buds tell me that those things are not as good as a good ole pizza.

    Does anyone have experience with their appetite slowly changing toward the more healthy choices? Is there hope for me? I am not really a person that feels I can have something every once in a while (or a cheat day) because having something bad every once in a while leads back to all the time. I would prefer to find a tasty satisfying similar item.

    For me, I like pairing healthy things with "bad" things. I love pizza, so one of my go-to dinners are a small mini pizza (260 cals) paired with a cup of cherry tomatoes and some other fresh veggies. I like salads, occasionally, but get sick of them fast, whereas I've focused on the veggies I do love and eat those.

    Think of the healthy options you DO like, and add them to your plate with other things. Have a burger, but pair it with a salad or veggies. Make it appetizing though- add a favourite dressing or something that makes you want to eat it too. Over time, it gets so much easier. Think of what you CAN add to your plate and not what you CAN'T eat- I find challenging myself to 3-5 servings of veggies a day helps and as I mentioned, I add the ones that I do like (cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc).

    And success comes in the kitchen too and from trying new recipes. And oh, Hungry Girl has some cool recipes which are in line with making "bad" food not-so-bad.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I call it the rolling snowball effect. For weight loss, I was mainly eating junk food but a lot less. Introduced healthier options into my diet. Now I tend to eat a lot more healthy food and don't mind it at all. I won't say no to a greasy kebab, though.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    csj522 wrote: »
    I am going to be honest, I have been eating so much garbage for so long that those things appeal to me. In my mind though, I am attracted to the healthy, vibrantly colored fruits and veggies I should be eating, but my taste buds tell me that those things are not as good as a good ole pizza.

    Nope. Nothing is going to taste as good as pizza. You'll grow to love other things a lot however.

    Secondly, there are no "bad foods" unless you have a health disorder. Just foods that are really calorie dense.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    I was The Lord God Empress of garbage food. It's all I ate. It tasted good.

    Then I worked on flipping my diet and now I eat healthy. It tastes good.

    For me, it was a lot of work, learning to cook, learning to shop, learning about nutrition, finding ways to not want to eat the junk. Lots of trial and error, trying foods I didn't like, finding better ways to make things I didn't hate, but didn't like.

    If you're willing to work at it, it can be done. Start with roasting a few new vegetables along with one or two you already like and go from there.

    You can do it.
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Sometimes you have to try food a couple of times, prepared in different ways to decide what you like to eat. Never rule out a food. And sometimes foods that taste disgusting the first time, taste better when you try them later on. I remember eating my first black olive and spitting it out.Then when I ate some pizza with black olives and mushroom, I really enjoyed the flavor of those food pairings. Foods that I couldn't eat and didn't like as a kid are now some of my favorites....black olives, beets, pumpkin, and coconut....who knew that I would ever like those things? Keep experimenting...there is a wonderful world of fabulous food out there just waiting for you to discover it.

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