How Your Senses Can Help You Eat Healthier
You eat what tastes, looks, smells, and even feels good to you. So how can you connect your senses to healthy foods and make eating them appealing? First, know what sense drives your food choices.
make meals that smell appealing
See below some examples of spices and vegetables that you can add to your food to create those delicious aromas (add your favorite spice or vegetable):
basil <> garlic <> curry <> cloves <> cinnamon <> nutmeg <> ginger <> thyme <> onion <> roasted cumin <> cardamom <> cilantro <> oregano
what oils do you cook with?
Use oils that are unsaturated (liquid at room temperature). Oils made from olive, avocado, canola, peanut, soybean, sesame, and sunflower [remember to check food labels and do so especially if you have any food allergies] have a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids. The oil you use can augment the flavor and enhance the taste of your food.
If you are stimulated by your visual sense, make your meals colorful. Vegetables come in all shapes and colors, choose the ones you love and add them to your dish [remember, when at all possible, eat raw or as close to raw as possible].
taste may be the biggest influencer of what you eat
Most people will not eat food that does not taste good; what tastes good to me, will probably not taste good to you. The food industry has mastered the art of preparing foods (a lot of them that are unhealthy) that appeal to your senses.
How many times have you said: “I just love the taste of pizza?”
IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH by making lifestyle changes, find ways to make the healthy foods you eat appeal to YOUR senses.
- Make a list of all the healthy foods you currently enjoy.
- Add those healthy foods to your meals daily.
- Be diligent and consistent (after all your mission is to GET HEALTHY!)
- With practice, your body will begin to crave the healthier foods and you will find that the unhealthy foods will begin to lose their appeal.
