Re-Train Taste Buds to like Healthy Foods

Very few people are born liking the taste of kale, yet it is one of the most healthiest food on the planet. How did those people who now enjoy the taste of kale and eat it often get from despising the flavor to enjoying it? By re-training their taste buds, and here's how you can do it too and enjoy a more diverse and healthier diet.

Try New Foods on an Empty Stomach

Your taste buds are more receptive to a new flavor when your stomach is empty. Have some new healthy foods on your pantry shelf or in your refrigerator just waiting for the moment you are so famished you could eat the proverbial horse, then give the new food a try. Food flavors taste different when the body is in need of re-fueling and the taste buds will more readily accept the new flavor.

Eat Healthy Foods with Eyes First

We eat all our food with our eyes first and it's important to make new foods look especially appetizing. Slice or dice fruits and vegetables that are unappealing to you into eye pleasing shapes. Arrange the healthy food on a pretty plate to prepare your taste buds for a culinary delight.

Try Less Desirable Foods with Friends

A little positive peer pressure might get you to liking some new healthy foods. Eating foods you dislike with a friend who likes them will encourage you to like the foods as well. A festive dinner party is a perfect place to try new foods, the talking and laughter takes your mind off of the food (and how much you hate it) and allows your taste buds to get a clear, unbiased taste. You just might leave the dinner party with a new favorite food.

Experiment with Food Prep

Some people find the smell, texture and taste of cooked cabbage disgusting and so they have never tried raw cabbage, which has a totally different flavor, texture and aroma. Experiment with different prep methods for healthy foods, sometimes it's the texture, smell or temperature of the food that your taste bud is rejecting instead of the food itself.

If at First You Don't Succeed…..

Try, try again. It's just like introducing a new food to your children, it could take several attempts before the food actually gets swallowed and liked. Be persistent about re-training your taste buds and try sampling a new healthy food everyday for one week.