We are encouraged to eat a high fiber, low fat diet to support good health. But often, high fiber is equated with cardboard crackers and chalky powders. Experts in the natural foods arena are often asked if there will ever be a diet consisting of healthy food that actually tastes good! In fact, most of us assume that if it tastes good, it couldn’t be good for us.

This is often the case for individuals who eat what nutritionists refer to as, ‘The Standard American Diet.” (Also known as the S.A.D. diet.) Their bodies are accustomed to the high fat and high sugar taste of dishes like noodles, cheese and pie. Fortunately, healthy foods, when prepared correctly, can hit the spot for even the pickiest individuals.

Taste is something that goes back to our early days of learning about food, don’t you think? We are familiar with the tastes and mouth feel of our favorite dishes. Think about how a bowl of hot oatmeal with milk reminds you of home, or how chocolate cupcakes call to mind birthday parties with your best friends.

Tastes can also have a less than positive memory attached. I remember being a kid during the 1970s, when my mom would bring home take out from a local health food store. I used to love the vegetarian quiche & mashed potatoes, but one dish in particular was a sprout salad with seeds and raw cabbage. This meal often smelled like sulfur, bitter curry and pepper seasonings. To this day, if someone offers me curry, the smell takes me back to that dish! I think that is one reason I’ve never been a fan of sprout salad, and I still don’t LOVE curry, or raw cabbage.

But I’ve learned that I can introduce new flavors and ingredients if I take the time to learn how to prepare them in a way that is both attractive and tasty. By reading cookbooks I taught myself how to lightly steam my cabbage, and apply bits of curry to lean chicken and stir-fried mung bean sprouts. This is now a favorite dish of mine, and it is both low in fat and high in nutrients.

It definitely takes time for taste buds to change. Until then, eat the healthy foods that you do like, and that you do enjoy. To get the 25-30 grams of fiber per day recommended by the American Dietetic Association, fill your plate with fresh ripe fruits and veggies of bright colors. Learn how to incorporate whole grains in the form of pasta and bread to your meals. These things will cleanse your palate, and open your taste buds wide. In time things will taste all together different.

Cassandra Cox
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-food-can-taste-good-137376.html

We are encouraged to eat a high fiber, low fat diet to support good health. But often, high fiber is equated with cardboard crackers and chalky powders. Experts in the natural foods arena are often asked if there will ever be a diet consisting of healthy food that actually tastes good! In fact, most of us assume that if it tastes good, it couldn’t be good for us.

This is often the case for individuals who eat what nutritionists refer to as, ‘The Standard American Diet.” (Also known as the S.A.D. diet.) Their bodies are accustomed to the high fat and high sugar taste of dishes like noodles, cheese and pie. Fortunately, healthy foods, when prepared correctly, can hit the spot for even the pickiest individuals.

Taste is something that goes back to our early days of learning about food, don’t you think? We are familiar with the tastes and mouth feel of our favorite dishes. Think about how a bowl of hot oatmeal with milk reminds you of home, or how chocolate cupcakes call to mind birthday parties with your best friends.

Tastes can also have a less than positive memory attached. I remember being a kid during the 1970s, when my mom would bring home take out from a local health food store. I used to love the vegetarian quiche & mashed potatoes, but one dish in particular was a sprout salad with seeds and raw cabbage. This meal often smelled like sulfur, bitter curry and pepper seasonings. To this day, if someone offers me curry, the smell takes me back to that dish! I think that is one reason I’ve never been a fan of sprout salad, and I still don’t LOVE curry, or raw cabbage.

But I’ve learned that I can introduce new flavors and ingredients if I take the time to learn how to prepare them in a way that is both attractive and tasty. By reading cookbooks I taught myself how to lightly steam my cabbage, and apply bits of curry to lean chicken and stir-fried mung bean sprouts. This is now a favorite dish of mine, and it is both low in fat and high in nutrients.

It definitely takes time for taste buds to change. Until then, eat the healthy foods that you do like, and that you do enjoy. To get the 25-30 grams of fiber per day recommended by the American Dietetic Association, fill your plate with fresh ripe fruits and veggies of bright colors. Learn how to incorporate whole grains in the form of pasta and bread to your meals. These things will cleanse your palate, and open your taste buds wide. In time things will taste all together different.

Cassandra Cox
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-food-can-taste-good-137376.html