Welcome back to our fourth episode of "Your Taste Buds Have Been Hijacked." This topic is particularly fascinating to me as it involves two complex but crucial aspects of our relationship with food.
First, a surprising revelation: many of my clients, during the initial weeks or month of our sessions, take pictures of their meals. This exercise reveals that a lot of them have a very limited variety in their diets. They often eat the same meals repeatedly, indicating a restricted palate, whether due to habit or preference. We know the saying: doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is madness. So, expanding our palate is essential for change.
I've seen extreme cases, like a client who only ate chicken nuggets. This isn't just kids; even adults have limited palates. When discussing their food choices, they often can't articulate why they like certain foods beyond saying they "taste good." We break it down further—do they like it because it's salty, sweet, or something else?
A common barrier to expanding one's palate is the "yuck" factor, which is often just unfamiliarity. Adults with limited palates usually prefer foods associated with childhood, like hot dogs, mac and cheese, and frozen pizzas. It’s crucial to grow beyond these preferences.
To help clients develop a more sophisticated palate, I ask them to consider different aspects of taste and flavor—whether something is sweet, salty, bitter, or umami. Sometimes, they need to learn how to cook or season their food differently. For example, vegetables from a can aren't appealing, but fresh, properly cooked, and seasoned vegetables can be delicious.
This process can extend our sessions together. While I usually work with clients for four to six months, expanding a palate might take longer. However, it’s a vital part of achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Here's a challenge for you: for one week, take pictures of everything you eat. Reflect on whether you’re eating the same things repeatedly and how much of your diet is from restaurants or prepackaged foods.
Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll dive into dining out. Thank you for joining me on this journey to better health.
Let's get healthy together.
Joseph Onesta, Type 2 Mentor