Studies show that embracing new food experiences can help you reach your healthy eating goals with less focus (and anxiety) on fad diets and calorie counting. Kids especially, and many adults too, have a natural tendency to reject new foods, but taste buds can learn to enjoy an unfamiliar food after many repeated exposures. And, we tend to enjoy food more (and eat less) when we slow down and savor the texture, taste, smell, feel and sound of food.
Here are some simple strategies to help increase your liking of new cuisines and foods:
Familiarization. Increase liking a new food through repeated exposures. This doesn’t necessarily require actual tasting – sometimes smelling it is enough. Try preparing the same food several different ways till you find one that hits the spot, like raw broccoli with dip, roasted broccoli, steamed or stir fried, etc.
Flavor-Flavor Learning. Pair an unfamiliar flavor with one that’s preferred, like sugar or salt, and over time, you’ll find the new becomes the welcomed. People are born with a preference for sweet and salty foods, but we tend to eat much more sugar than the recommended limit of less than 10% of total calories. If we’re staying on the broccoli example, try adding the salty component of shredded cheddar cheese. Another example is to sprinkle a little sugar or honey over a grapefruit.
Flavor-Context Learning. This is where you pair an unfamiliar flavor/food with an enjoyable social experience, i.e. trying out a new cuisine on date night, or a new spicy appetizer at a friend’s party. If you’re having good time while trying out the new cuisine, you’ll be more likely to think of it in a positive way.
Food Bridges. Introduce a new food/flavor that’s similar in taste and texture to one that’s familiar and preferred. For example, if you like green beans, you might also like snow peas, and vice versa. If you’re a pumpkin pie fan, give mashed sweet potatoes a try.
So be bold, be brave, be adventurous with your food! You’ll never know unless you try!
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