Unfortunately, calorie-zapping machines haven’t been invented (yet), so we aren’t able to eat pizza without any guilt. But using these nifty tricks to make healthy food taste better is the next best thing.
We all have some sort of aversion to broccoli, asparagus, carrots and/or some other form of “healthy” food. Admit it. Even if you eat your daily recommended servings of fruits and veggies, you would happily pick burritos over beets everyday. And heck, we’d be right there with ya. But have you ever wondered exactly why we have these negative feelings towards this food group? Its not because we’re resentful children, still stubbornly resisting the foods our parents force us to eat. Its because they smell funny. Yes, really. Dr. Thierry Thomas-Danguin, along with his colleagues at the Center for the Science of Flavor and Food in Dijon, France has found through extensive research that the particular smell of healthy foods have a negative effect on consumers.
Our bodies crave fattening and high calorie foods because they have the most amount of stored energy in them. Thierry said, “Most consumers know that they should be eating more healthful foods made with reduced amounts of fat, sugar and salt. But this is problematic because these are the very ingredients that make many of the foods we like taste so delicious.” Since a big part of our sense of taste is connected to our sense of smell, disguising the bitter aroma of vegetables can be the secret to eating healthier. Adding fresh spices and herbs to a salad or roasted vegetable medley can increase its appeal and make people want to eat it. Hey, we’ll give it a try!