Why is unhealthy food so tasty?
It’s science.
Food companies spend millions every year developing tasty food products that will appeal to consumers. In the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, they test and tweak the perfect blend of salt, sugar and fat until it reaches something called the “bliss point” – where the taste becomes the most appealing and addicting possible. That’s what the food giant General Mills did in 1999 when it created Yoplait, the first yogurt that contained 2X the sugar of Lucky Charms cereal while being advertised as healthy.
The question is: Are they to blame? According to the CEOs of these food giants, consumers have the power of choice and could simply pick healthier foods if they wanted to. But we know this just doesn’t happen, and that this mindset comes with a huge price – the rise in obesity, type-2 diabetes and a ton of health problems for millions of people.
So that’s what you have to fight against every day. Hundreds of scientists running huge experiments to develop the most tasty, addicting, appealing and probably fattening food products possible. No wonder your broccoli and chicken meal seems bland and boring.I’m convinced that one of the keys to inevitable fat loss is making sure you meals are as mouth-watering as they are fat burning.
The next few lines will help you do just that.
The Monell Center, where
the addicting stuff is developed
“Healthy Foods Don't Taste That Good”
Really?
I’ll be blunt. Your food doesn’t taste bland because healthy food is bland in its nature – but because of the quality of your ingredients and possibly your lack of cooking skills. After all, the best chefs in the world use simple, healthy, all-natural ingredients to prepare the tastiest meals mankind has ever seen. The good news is: You don’t have to be a chef to make your healthy fat burning meals taste good.
3 Keys To Tasty Fat Burning Meals
Fresh ingredients
The fresher, the better. Buying whole foods is a good start, and focusing on a local farmers market will help you find the tastiest fruits and veggies around. Try using fresh herbs and spices instead of the dried kind that has been sitting on supermarket shelves for years, and your taste buds will thank me for it.
Salt it up!
Salt is a must for almost any recipe out there, because it reveals all the other flavors in your meal. Don’t be afraid to use it. Unrefined salts kind like Himalayan rock salt or sea salt are actually good for you and won’t raise your blood pressure.
Taste Your Meal
This is the biggest mistake most amateur cooks do. They stick to the recipe with horse blinders on, feeling afraid they might screw it up if they change the quantities. Before serving ANY meal, ask yourself: “Does it need more salt? Spices? Herbs?” You’ll be surprised of how it will transform your meals from bland to 5-star-tasty.
Train Your Taste
Processed foods you might crave were engineered to make your taste buds perfectly happy and stimulate your appetite. Never forget that sad fact. It will feel weird, but the reason you find healthy food so bland might be… your “broken” taste buds.You see, studies show that eating processed foods, sugar and added taste-stimulating ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG) will desensitize your taste buds – making everything natural appear bland and boring to you. If you’re eating a diet consisting of more than 10% processed foods or a lot of sugar (or both!), then eating whole foods for 3-4 weeks straight will completely change the way you taste food. After a while, some fruits might even feel too sugary to you.
“My Kids/Husband/Wife Don’t Like It!”
We’re creatures of habit. We like things to be a certain way. And if possible, we like them to stay that way for as long as possible. If you decide to change your eating habits, expect resistance – ranging from children shunning your amazing veggie dish to a frustrated husband that sees his Thursday triple-cheese lasagna transformed into stuffed bell peppers.
Should I Cook Separate Meals?
Sometimes, this is the best solution. Of course, you’ll spend more time preparing food, washing dishes, etc. But if you’re dedicated, you’ll find a way to do it. Remember though: If you try to force new habits on people, they might wonder if their meals will be as tasty as before (see last page), or if they’re going to be as filling and satisfying as their favorite meals. Set the example. Learn how to cook healthy meals so tasty that even the most reluctant eater will be tempted to take a bite. That should convert them to some degree and make them confident that you have the skills to change how they eat but while keeping their satisfaction and taste buds in mind.
Ninja Technique (Advanced)
Who said you have to change everything around if you want to make smarter food choices? It doesn’t have to be that way. With a little bit of creativity, you can use my favorite ninja technique in the kitchen and “hide” nutrients in your spouse or children favorite meals.
1. Hide well-cooked and mashed cauliflower in your mashed potatoes. You can cook both simultaneously to save time. With the right amount of added spices, salt and butter, you’ll be able to hide up to 50% cauliflower without anyone raising an eyebrow.
2. Add zucchini, carrots and celery in your spaghetti sauce or any tomato-based meal. Use an immersion blender to blend everything at the last second – making it impossible even for the most difficult eater to detect the extra veggies and nutrition.
3. Develop the very unique and useful ability to prepare sugar-free, healthy desserts that actually taste good. Try my “Ninja Chocolate Cake”.
“Ninja Chocolate Cake” Recipe
This recipe will make you confident in your ability to prepare sugar-free, gluten-free
(if that’s a goal for you), bad-stuff-free and simply amazing desserts. Try it.
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 inch spring form pan.
2. Place chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler and heat over (not touching) about 1 inch of simmering water until melted.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the xylitol in a bowl until light yellow in color.
4. Whisk some of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk and xylitol mixture to temper the eggs. This will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate. Then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.
5. Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared spring form pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when the top is set and begins to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it.
6. Let stand 10 minutes, and then remove the ring of the spring form pan. Serve cake at room temperature and garnish with berries if desired.
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“I Can’t Give Up My Favorite Foods”
You probably heard that promise before from weight loss programs: “Lose weight eating your favorite foods!” There’s no doubt in my mind that this CAN be done, but you’ll have to be very strategic about it.
Treat Foods And Your 10%
If your favorite foods are mac and cheese, pancakes and chocolate cake, there’s no way you’re going to lose weight and stay healthy eating those every single day. Consider these meals your treat foods, and enjoy them without any guilt at very strategic moments:
- After intense exercise (not your 5-minutes breeze walk)
- As a treat meal, 10% (or less) of the time
- At family dinners, where controlling what you eat could be next to impossible anyway
Are You Imprisoned By Your Favorite Foods?
For some people, comfort foods that mom used to cook or that make them feel good are a trap. You need to fully enjoy your food to lose weight without losing your mind in the process. But if you consider your favorite foods “sacred” and never want to tweak the recipes, your stubbornness will sabotage your results.Be an open-minded cook and at least try the ingredients swaps below on your favorite recipes...
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“I Have No Cooking Skills”
If I wanted to be very honest, I would simply say: “No s**t, Sherlock!” But I won’t say that.
Instead, here’s the polite yet honest truth. No one is born with cooking skills. Forget that idea. Everyone messed up recipes, slowly learned skills, and eventually got good at it. I know cooking may be very intimidating for some people, but you’ll have to muster your courage and take the plunge…Here are the things I wish someone would have told me from the very beginning:
“Buy this cookbook” : Click Here To Grab
Grab a cookbook that uses simple, healthy ingredients and contains recipes that you can prepare in minutes. The Paleo Cookbook is a great start, because it contains more than 370 real food recipes without any bad ingredients.
“Stop trying to be perfect”
If you’re anything like me, you like things sturdy and organized. But in the kitchen, you have to let go of that idea of perfection. Cut veggies fast and approximately instead of slow and perfectly shaped. Things will get messy, but you won’t waste your time in the kitchen and get bored by all the time you spend in there.
“Season your damn food!”
Most amateur cooks are very shy when it comes to spices and salt. Use both of them liberally (always use unrefined rock or sea salt) to adjust taste of every recipe, just before serving. A recipe that tastes bland can discourage you, but often times all that’s missing is a pinch of salt!
“Use real food”
If you mix pre-seasoned rice with water and powder with milk to prepare your meal… you’re not learning how to cook. Use real food ingredients like veggies, meat, potatoes, spices and herbs, and follow the recipe. Eventually, you’ll even be able to adjust the recipes to your taste or nutritional needs.
TASTY ACTION STEPS
1. Your fat burning meals have to be tasty. Use unrefined salt, fresh herbs and spices liberally and always adjust the taste of your meal before serving.
2. Your taste buds may be screwed up. Cut on the processed foods for a couple of weeks and you'll see
that everything healthy suddenly tastes better.
3. If people in your household don't like the healthy meals you prepare, try to hide veggies in their favorite meals instead – or just let it go and cook separate meals.
4. Do not stop eating your favorite foods cold turkey. Instead, eat them after your intense workouts
(which everyone should do) and make sure you eat the right foods at least 90% of the time.
5. Grab a healthy recipe book ( From Here ) and start cooking fast and easy recipes. Practice makes perfect.
