| I have been preparing my own meals for many | | | | pungent flavor, use more carrot to boost its flavor |
| years. Like most people, I suppose, I would fix only | | | | and texture. Other salad ingredients can be nuts, |
| familiar dishes.That has changed. For health benefits, I | | | | peanuts, coconut, cereal, baked beans, and fruit. |
| began eating more fruits and vegetables. Trying | | | | Some ingredients I like are raw beets, raw potato |
| unfamiliar vegetables and fruits made eating | | | | and raw sweet potato.Watch out for raw greens |
| interesting and more enjoyable. Many of those new | | | | and other raw vegetables that cause digestion |
| fruits and vegetables became favorites. I tried many | | | | system upset. It only takes small amounts of some |
| other foods that were new to me, for example, | | | | raw vegetables to cause a lot of discomfort. Use |
| whole grains, various types of beans, seeds and nuts. | | | | small quantities of an untested food to begin with |
| Many of those became favorites. Using unfamiliar | | | | until you know how well your body deals with it. The |
| ways of preparing food also made eating more of an | | | | body will adapt to some foods over a period of |
| adventure. A few of my favorites are pesto (pureed | | | | weeks or months but results vary from food to |
| greens and oil), raw foods that are normally eaten | | | | food and, I suppose, from individual to individual. |
| cooked, and unusual combinations such as bread with | | | | Some raw foods I avoid because of previous bad |
| peanut butter, covered with pizza sauce.The | | | | experiences are green beans, asparagus, and beet |
| circumstances of my life encouraged more changes. | | | | leafs. I don't eat more than a tablespoon of raw |
| Making do with a small amount of money gave me a | | | | parsley pesto in a day. The same for kale. I don't eat |
| liking for oatmeal, beans, and other very low-cost | | | | more than the equivalent of 1/4-cup pesto of raw |
| foods. Growing up on a farm and having a garden | | | | Chinese cabbage.To develop a liking for a new food, |
| each year provided new fruits and vegetables to try | | | | eat it at the beginning of a meal when you are most |
| and enjoy. Having been raised to 'waste not, want | | | | hungry. Being hungry greatly improves the ability to |
| not', helped me not to pass up unusual foods: gifts | | | | appreciate the taste of a food. Eat only a small |
| such as my sister's 'beans 'n' greens', the landlord's | | | | amount of the new food at each sitting. For some |
| parogies, and my son's homemade deer jerky. The | | | | foods, a tiny bite, just enough to sense its flavor, is |
| point is: The changes in my diet gave me more foods | | | | enough to handle at first. Don't give up easily on a |
| to enjoy. I now know that I can like a great many | | | | food that at first seems too strange to be enjoyed. |
| unfamiliar foods. At first some of those foods may | | | | Some foods will require dozens of 'get acquainted' |
| not be enjoyed because they are so different and | | | | trials.Other strategies for liking new foods:- Read |
| are unrecognized as a | | | | about nutrition and health to know the benefits of a |
| 'goody'. For me, that recognition is typically made | | | | changed diet.- Be aware of how much time you |
| gradually by many small trials. Once that recognition is | | | | spend shopping for food and other food related |
| made, the food 'hits the spot' and can be nutritious, | | | | tasks. Would you rather have some of that time |
| healthy and convenient. Then I have yet another | | | | available for other things? Non-traditional foods can |
| food to enjoy.The process of trying new foods and | | | | use preparation methods that take less time.- Make a |
| having them become enjoyed fare, makes eating an | | | | choice about the money you spend for food. Atypical |
| adventure. Eating becomes more nteresting and | | | | foods may be less expensive than traditional and |
| more enjoyed. Meals become more than a time to | | | | popular food. Getting the most bang for the buck |
| enjoy what I have enjoyed before. Awareness is | | | | can add to the pleasure of eating.- Make a decision |
| heightened by experiencing the unfamiliar. There is | | | | to increase the pleasure in your life. Your success in |
| anticipation of discovery of a new enjoyment. Meals | | | | developing a fondness for a new food, will encourage |
| become pay-off times of previous experimentation | | | | you to try other kinds of new pleasures.Have |
| efforts. The food is more appreciated for having | | | | reasons in mind to try unusual foods:- to be able to |
| creative effort invested in it. Perhaps I have gained a | | | | enjoy healthy foods.- to enjoy low-prep-time foods.- |
| health benefit, saved some prep time, saved money | | | | to use what you can grow in your garden.- for the |
| that can be used for some other purpose, and have | | | | satisfaction of acquiring new pleasures.- to increase |
| added to my repertoire of pleasure.A cookbook | | | | your enjoyment of eating.Know why liking new foods |
| might help you get ideas about what new foods to | | | | is difficult. This is the know-your-enemy principle. It |
| try. A cookbook about a particular ethnic food or | | | | seems to help me. People have an instinctive |
| some other unfamiliar category of food would be | | | | protection against eating toxic foods. Nature has |
| particularly helpful. Buy one or get one from the | | | | provided you with a mistrust for new, unfamiliar food. |
| library. Some ethnic categories are Middle Eastern, | | | | If the food is enough different from what you are |
| Southeast Asian, African, soul food, Southern, and | | | | used to, it will not be immediately liked. This is a |
| Mexican. Other categories are health food, | | | | necessary instinct that keeps you from poisoning |
| quick and easy recipes, weight loss diets, vegetarian | | | | yourself by eating the wrong mushroom, for |
| recipes, and using food from the garden. You might | | | | example. Evolution along with chemistry eliminated |
| even enjoy some obscure categories such as pioneer | | | | the gulp-down-anything individuals from our gene pool. |
| food, early American/Native American food, wild | | | | The little-by-little taste-developers survived.If it's the |
| food, early European food, food from storage, and | | | | sugar, salt and spices you depend upon to enjoy |
| low cost food. I particularly like quick and easy | | | | food, other flavors will go unappreciated. To help |
| cookbooks.If you need help becoming comfortable | | | | your fondness for new foods come easier, ease up |
| with trying new foods, try small changes:- Eat | | | | on spices, salt, and sugar. That encourages your |
| breakfast foods at lunch or supper. | | | | taste to appreciate a greater variety of flavors. You |
| Or try a vegetable at breakfast. If you normally | | | | then can more appreciate the sweetness of cherry |
| have a sandwich at bedtime, have a salad instead.- | | | | tomatoes, the sweetness of raw pumpkin, and the |
| Try different brands from the ones you normally | | | | sweetness of sweet potatoes, for example. You can |
| use.- Leave out one or more ingredients from your | | | | enjoy the mild flavor of raw chestnuts, the richness |
| standard recipes. Or change the proportions - a little | | | | of nuts, and the subtle starchiness of cereal grains. |
| more of this or a little less of that.- Substitute a | | | | Your palate will be more adept at experiencing the |
| similar ingredient for a usual ingredient, for instance, | | | | pleasures of subtle flavors. A great many foods that |
| orange juice concentrate or lemon juice instead of | | | | previously seemed mostly tasteless, can then be |
| vinegar on a salad.- It may help to eat smaller | | | | enjoyed for their unique flavors.Your enjoyment of |
| portions but include a greater number of foods at | | | | stronger tasting food will be helped by reducing sugar |
| each meal. | | | | and salt use. You will be switching from depending on |
| That may help you develop a liking for variety.- Try | | | | saltiness and sweetness to getting pleasure from |
| unusual combinations such as cooked chicken and raw | | | | other flavors.Finding new foods:- Browse at a health |
| fruit cut in small pieces and mixed together...or pizza | | | | food store, a farmers market or an ethnic food |
| sauce on a peanut butter open-face sandwich...or a | | | | festival.- Take the time to look at all the items at a |
| teaspoon of honey or pancake syrup on a dark | | | | local supermarket.- Browse at local ethnic food |
| green, leafy salad.Salads are great to experiment | | | | markets: Middle Eastern or Greek, for example.- Try |
| with. Many vegetables can be enjoyed in a salad. Try | | | | raw foods and whole grains.- Use native plants and |
| various amounts and combinations of carrot, tomato, | | | | foraged plants. Know what you are doing, there are |
| cabbage, broccoli, bell pepper, cucumber, or other | | | | poisonous plants that resemble edible ones. A few |
| vegetables you enjoy. Use other types of greens: | | | | plants are toxic even when eaten in small quantities.- |
| romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, collards, mache and basil. | | | | Do your own cooking and gardening, if you have the |
| Dressing can be just oil, pesto, syrup, tomato sauce, | | | | time and space.A few unusual recipes can be found |
| ketchup, fruit juices, | | | | at |
| mayonnaise, peanut butter softened with oil, and | | | | recipes unusual recipes.htmAlan Detwiler started the |
| even jam or jelly. | | | | web site Leisureideas. Visitors to the site are |
| Dressing can be used to soften the strong flavor of | | | | encouraged to use imagination and whatever |
| raw cabbage, basil, or dark green lettuce.The subtle | | | | happens to be available to discover new ways to |
| flavors of many vegetables are easily hidden with | | | | enjoy themselves.Alan writes books on how to |
| anything more than tiny amounts of vinegar, lemon | | | | pursue playfulness and a sense of wonder. His books |
| juice and tomato sauce. Try a salad without any | | | | are available in digital format and can be purchased |
| dressing to enjoy the full flavor of the vegetables. | | | | and downloaded on the eBookMall web site. Go to |
| The vegetables can be proportioned to subdue or | | | | Then do a search for Detwiler. |
| enhance particular flavors - use less basil to lessen its | | | | |