One of the most common goals many of us have (beginning of the new year or not) is to start "eating healthy." That's easier said than done for those of us who don't enjoy the usual healthy foods or are simply picky eaters. Whether you have the taste palate of a toddler or are bored to tears by health food, a few simple tricks could help get started eating better.
Health food doesn't have to make you feel deprived, and it can be really inexpensive as well as easy and quick to whip up. To make eating healthy a lasting habit, start with small, simple changes and try new ways of thinking about eating. Here are a few tips.
Mix What You Like with New Healthy Foods
One trick most parents of fussy eaters have tried is hiding veggies in other, usually sweet foods (a trick that doesn't always work, though. I still can't get over finding white fish mixed in with my rice when I was a kid). You can try a more sophisticated version of this approach by pairing foods you love with ones you want to start incorporating into your diet more: Photo by Matt Scott.
- Kale is one of those powerful superfoods that you might even like if you pair it with bacon or sausage.
- Okay, everything's better with bacon. Moderate amounts of cheese can also transform a dish.
- One study recently showed that topping a burger with an avocado can decrease the inflammatory effects of the red meat.
- Combining broccoli with mustard might not only make the vegetable taste better, it could boost its nutritional value.
- Spreading out veggies in a dish of pasta or grains can make the taste of them less offensive. Also, instead of going with the typical tomato sauce, try a pesto or other healthy sauce.
- As mentioned when we talked about eating healthy even if you hate cooking, a smoothie can not only be quick but also nutritionally complete. You might not even taste the spinach when combined with fruits and other ingredients.
- Some people don't like healthy foods because they seem bland. To solve that problem, first buy better-quality foods (the fresher the better, which is why we like farmer's markets and CSAs). Then go ahead and spice up that dish with your favorite flavors. Besides salt and pepper, consider other meal enhancers like chili sauce, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, salsa, teriyaki sauce, peanut butter, garlic, and so on. Appreciating food like a food snob by fully breathing in the dish could also help you taste its nuances.
Try Different Food Preparations or Versions
Up until a few years ago, I was convinced I hated eggs. Now eggs and egg hacks are among my favorite things. The reason? I discovered there's a world beyond scrambled eggs and omelets, which were the only egg preparations I'd tried when younger. Photo by James Jordan.
- Roasted cauliflower or broccoli (instead of steamed/boiled) is a revelation. Seriously, try it if you haven't yet.
- Instead of canned vegetables (mushy asparagus, yuck), try fresh or frozen. Frozen vegetables are sometimes even better than fresh ones.
- You might not like certain types of seafood (the oiliness of salmon, for example, or the brininess of oysters), but there are many others you can try, such as the more mild white fishes, including tilapia.
- Kale chips are surprisingly similar-tasting to other, less nutritious chips. (Even my daughter, who lives on chicken nuggets, eats them.)
- Sometimes the brand matters. Campbell's butternut squash soup tastes completely different than the one from Amy's Kitchen.
- Some people swear a juicer has transformed their relationship with vegetables, including ones they've previously hated. You can make fresh juice with a food processor too.
- If veggies taste too intense to you, try the baby versions (e.g., baby carrots), whose flavors haven't intensified yet.
Eat More of the Healthy Foods You Do Like (and Decrease Less Healthy Ones)
You don't have to force yourself to learn to love kale or any other nutritious food. Healthier eating might just mean increasing the portion of the healthy foods you do like. In stews and foods like shepherd's pie, for example, make the veggies a bigger ratio and the meat and carbs a lower one. The Kitchn suggests doubling the vegetables in any recipe for an easy way to start eating healthier (especially for vegetable-heavy dishes, it shouldn't affect the flavor or your enjoyment of the meals). Photo by epSos.de.
If you want to eat less meat without giving it up completely, try meatless Monday or just one meatless lunch a week, which can challenge your creativity in a good way (though you can use the Meatless Monday website for inspiration). Another trick is to simply minimize the meat portion by skewering it, serving it on the bone, stewing it, and so on.
Start Small
As with forming all kinds of good habits, you're more likely to stay successful in your new healthy eating mindset if you start out gradually or commit to a short time first. Photo by William Warby.
Maybe just upgrading your brown-bagged lunch will seep into the other meals and snacks of the day.
If your mouth catches fire as soon as a hot Thai dish arrives at the table, you can build up your spice tolerance to gradually solve that problem.
Treating healthy foods like samples is another strategy to enjoy more foods and continue enjoying them.
...Or Go All In
Joining a CSA was a turning point in my eating and cooking habits. Previously I never ate greens a lot, but the weekly delivery of them (and eggs) forced me to not only try new veggies but also improve my cooking.
If you don't want to join a CSA, a weekly food delivery service, like Blue Apron (in the Northeast) or Plated (nationwide), could also increase your exposure to new foods. These services deliver the ingredients and recipes for an entire meal (1-5 meals each week) so you can whip up a gourmet meal at home—and try new foods you perhaps didn't even know about before. (Blue Apron is how I discovered the incredibleness of roasted cauliflower.)
Make the Meal Experience More Enjoyable
Up the experience of the meal—by having a dinner party with friends (it helps if they eat healthy too), going to a great restaurant, or cooking with the freshest ingredients—and as you become more mindful of the food you eat, you might find yourself expanding your palate to include more of nature's good stuff. Photo by gwaar.
Finally, keep trying without being too hard on yourself, whether you've got a limited palate or the only thing that looks good to you is steak and potatoes. Ditching a dysfunctional diet for a healthier one takes work, but it's well worth it.
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