Healthy Living Myth #9: Good Food Tastes Bad (Healthy Living DIY)

The countdown continues as we bust another Healthy Living myth. (Remember, I know you're smarter than this -- work with me a bit here for the sake of your friends.)

"Good food tastes bad." I suppose you've heard it, and I know I have. Here's the deal. Whole, minimally-processed foods do taste different from the pre-fab substitutes that many of us have switched to, at least occasionally, out of convenience.

Here's the question I really want answered. "Do those pre-fab substitutes really qualify as food?" To find out, I clicked over to my favorite source of technical information - the www.m-w.com online dictionary. According to Webster, here's what it takes for a substance to qualify as food:

The essential qualities of something that "feeds" is "to furnish something essential to the growth, sustenance, maintenance, or operation of." Technically, then, I guess the pre-fab stuff counts. It keeps us going, at least for a while.

If I were to continue on this tangent, I'd probably next draw your attention to the qualities of a poison (Webster says "a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism") and ask you to consider whether those same pre-fab substitutes contain some of these qualities as well. Of course, they do, and in much greater quantites than minimally-processed foods we get from the garden, the Farmer's market, or the outside aisles of the grocery store.

But I didn't start you off today expecting to debate whether the substances we consider "foods" really are food or not. Today's discussion is about flavor.

So, yes. Minimally-processed foods taste different than fast food. Many people prefer them. People who are accustomed to eating whole foods find processed foods distasteful. It is possible to change your tastes, and that process begins with switching over to a diet containing more whole foods.

Here's the big tip: If you are not accustomed to preparing whole foods at home and you want to begin, invest in a cookbook or two. A plate of steamed broccoli isn't going to excite anybody. One of my personal favorite natural food cookbooks is American Wholefoods Cuisine . I've been using it for years.

If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, or even plan to visit one on vacation, you have another advantage. Get yourself to a restaurant that serves healthy foods or to the deli section of your local healthy superstore (WholeFoods, Wild Oats). Try a few things.

Think ethnic, too. Lebanese, Greek, authentic Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, Thai, Mongolian stir-fry and other ethnic restaurants are a great source of healthy food ideas. Try out the prepared version on the spot, then experiment later at home. Middle Eastern foods, by the way, are generally flavorful but not "hot." Otherwise, if you want mild, just ask for it. Most restauranteurs aim to please when possible (they know you won't come back if you hate the food).

Try it. Before long, I predict you'll be the one longing for some healthy, freshly-prepared "real" food.

Now it's off to the grocery - I've got fresh peas in the garden!

Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!

Take our free Less Stress; More Time mini-course!