Are your taste buds hijacked?

There have been so many new experiences and emotions within my holistic health journey. At first, there is discomfort and then what was once uncomfortable soon becomes a part of your lifestyle. It's a flow and a rhythm that you learn in this dance of life. But, there is one thing that no one really talks about when it comes to leaning into a new dietary lifestyle and nutritional habits. The more processed packaged foods that you consume or the more you order takeout the more you will experience what I’m about to share with you. 

Have you ever tried a new diet or started to cook new foods? I’m assuming yes because who the heck hasn’t at this point in our society?? When you do though, do you ever notice that the food is bland? Or that you want to add salt or sugar? Or maybe you just think that healthy food tastes horrible? 

I promise it isn’t your cooking skills, it's your tastebuds. Your taste buds are completely hijacked. See the thing is, when you are constantly consuming packaged products without checking the ingredient label, you are likely consuming a ton of “natural and artificial flavors”, hidden sugars, and even MSG (flavor enhancer). So it makes sense that when you eat the real food that the packaged flavor was trying to mimic, it's going to taste bland and even bad to you. That coupling of flavor enhancers and too much sugar makes the packaged products appeal to you so much more than a whole, natural food choice. 

I had a client once tell me that they could not stand drinking plain water and that they always have to add a flavor packet into it. This is a HUGE red flag and a major indicator that your taste buds are indeed hijacked. We should easily and effortlessly be able to drink plain water and enjoy it. Of course, you can add real citrus or herbs for flavor enhancers but otherwise if you’re not able to drink plain water take that as a sign you’d benefit from new nutritional habits. 

The good news is that over time and with some consistency your taste buds will change. I can honestly say that my taste buds have changed so much over the years that going out to eat or having certain packaged foods taste worse for me than if I just made something at home. Now when I have a craving for something I try to replicate it healthily, right in my kitchen. Nine times out of ten it tastes better to me than if I were to consume the packaged item. 

I want to remind you though, that like most things when it comes to a holistic health journey, it takes time to change. I know, I know, we LOVE instant gratification or fast results that we can quickly see. The thing is if it were that easy everyone would be doing it. Eating whole foods and home cooking at least 80% of your meals can be tough but having dedication and consistency is the biggest challenge of them all. Actually, I’d say getting back on track when you fall off is the biggest challenge because you will fall off track, you are not perfect and no one is perfect. Instead of getting down on yourself and throwing in the towel when you do, your dedication and your WHY will keep you going to get back on. 

So what do you think? Are your tastebuds hijacked? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.