Expanding Your Palate
By: Erica Wells, RD
Are you one to use the phrase “I don’t eat that” often? Does your diet pretty much lack color and variety? Are you unadventurous when it comes to trying new foods?
Up to this point in your life you may have not been very eager to try much outside of your normal meal routine, but it may be time to reconsider. Not only can a diet lacking in variety also lack valuable nutrients but expanding your palate opens you up to infinite menu choices. Now if you have limitations to your diet because you have multiple food allergies then this article is not directed at you, though if you haven’t broadened your menu out of fear of allergic reaction to foods you are unsure of then consult your doctor/allergist for advise about what is safe for you. Same goes for people with certain medical conditions or take medications that restrict particular foods. For the rest of you…let’s mix it up!
The key to expanding your palate is to open yourself to healthy foods you have not have tried before. Don’t be scared to try something new. You may think you won’t like something then try it and be pleasantly surprised that you actually do. If there is a food you tried once before and didn’t like it, try it again prepared in a different way (for example maybe you just don’t quite dig the texture of raw mushrooms but you may love them cooked!). Or maybe you tried something once as a child and hated it but now that you are older you may find that you like it (this was the case for me and onions, now I love them raw or cooked). Maybe you will like something by itself or as part of a recipe (for instance I like tomatoes in anything but cannot eat them whole like an apple). If you aren’t a huge vegetable person, don’t dismiss them – just try adding new vegetables to your diet one by one. A great trick to adding more vegetables to your diet is to add them to something you already like (ex/add veggies to your pizza, dark leafies to your sandwich). This is a subtle way to train your taste buds.
Adding variety to your diet is the key to getting and staying healthy. If you are having trouble with your weight or trying to improve your overall well being, be ready to make some changes to the way you eat. It doesn’t have to be done all at once but should be something you work on day-by-day.
