People always complain all the time that healthy food tastes bad. There are a couple of reasons why healthful foods might taste “bland” to you. Junk food (fast-food burgers and the like), which is over-salted and contains large amounts of added sugar, is why is going to taste different. So why don't they make healthy food taste better, especially when compared to unhealthy options?
Honestly, when someone complains that healthy foods don’t taste good, it’s often because they simply don’t know how to prepare them. In fact, healthy foods taste great, if you know exactly how to cook and season them to enhance their naturally delicious flavors. You can make vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, and fruits that taste great.
If your diet consists of a lot of processed foods that are overloaded with salt, fat, and sugar, it could be that your taste is accustomed to these tastes. You may be so unaccustomed to the natural flavors in foods (and so used to the salty, fatty, sweet flavors in your daily diet) that you can only eat the healthy foods when dousing them with more salt, fat, and sugar. It sounds like this is some form of dietary self-sabotage—or a form of punishment for you!
Here is what you have to learn how is a plain, good taste diet, healthy foods properly prepared are incredibly flavorful and delicious.
There are two keys to making healthy foods taste good. The first is to start with the best possible ingredients. When foods are as fresh as can be, they’re at their peak of quality, which means they’re also at their peak of flavor.
The second key to making healthy foods taste good is to learn how to cook and season them. It helps if you’re willing to be a little fearless in the kitchen. If you’re not much of a cook, you might not trust your cooking skills and worry that you’ll make a mistake. But that’s part of the fun. It’s time to learn how to improve your flavors.
How To Make Healthy Foods Taste Jummy
With vegetables, buy in the season as much as possible, or purchase frozen vegetables.
#1. Season with garlic, onion, citrus, vinegar, herbs, soy sauce.
#2. Sprinkle with nuts, seeds, or a little shaved parmesan cheese.
#3. Sauté in broth, wine or a little flavorful oil, lie olive, sesame or walnut.
#4. Roast to mellow and concentrate the flavor.
#5. Mix several veggies together. Mixtures are more enticing to the eye and the palate.
#6. Blanch then stir-fry. Blanching is especially good for strong-tasting veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, and it helps to both season the veggies and take away some of the very strong flavors. Blanch cut veggies in boiling, salted water for 60 seconds. Drain, then stir-fry in a little oil with garlic and a drizzle of soy sauce.
#7. Massage strong-tasting greens like kale or cabbage before eating them raw. Finely slice the greens, then massage under a spray of warm water for a minute or two. This softens the texture slightly and removes some of the ‘raw’ taste. Rinse with cold water to refresh, then dry thoroughly and dress with a little vinaigrette.
#8. Sweeten your veggies to contrast with the strong taste. Slice a fresh apple, pear or orange into your green salad, or a few golden raisins to a broccoli stir-fry.
For making fish, Poultry or Tofu Taste Great
#1. Marinating your proteins before cooking boosts flavor, and also helps keep these foods moist and tender. Acidic foods help to tenderize, so include some citrus juice, vinegar, or yogurt in your marinade.
#2. Rubs are mixtures of seasonings—usually salt, pepper, herbs and spices—that are liberally rubbed into the surface of your protein (dry rub), or mixed into a paste with a little prepared mustard, oil, mashed garlic or yogurt (wet rub).
#3. Fish and poultry tend to be dry, but poaching them in a flavorful liquid gives you a moist and flavorful result. You can use vegetables, mushrooms, fish or chicken stock. For more flavor, you can add sliced lemon, onion, garlic, fresh herbs and peppercorns to the liquid.
#4. Top with something as simple as a squeeze of lemon juice, a shower of parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, few dashes of soy sauce or a top with salsa (tomato or fruit), tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms or onions, or sliced avocado.
For Whole Grains Taste Great
#1. Sauté first in a little oil over medium heat. When you sauté them until they just start to toast a little bit, it brings out this delicious taste.
#2. Season with spices. You can add spices while you sauté your grains. You can season with some ground cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, ginger or dried orange peel.
#3. Add vegetables and herbs. As you sauté your grains, you can add onion, garlic, chopped broccoli, grated carrot, diced pepper, chopped tomato, or some herbs like parsley, thyme, oregano or basil.
#4. Cover with a flavorful liquid. Instead of water, cook your grains or beans with chicken, vegetable or mushroom stock, or diluted tomato juice.
For Fruits Taste Great
#1. Buy in the season as much as possible, or purchase frozen fruits.
#2. Sprinkle with sweet spices (like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg), citrus juice or a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
#3. Blend fruits into your protein shake to add delicious flavor and texture.
#4. Mix different fruits into a fruit salad for mixing flavors and beautiful colors add appeal.
