Good morning!
I got up this morning around 5:45 because I have a few big orders to get out by noon today. I started my morning with an energizing fresh lemon juice. It is simply a juiced lemon and water. I have had this drink several times now and I think my taste buds are already adapting to the sour taste. Funny how that works! This ‘taste-bud adaptation’ has happened to me with other foods too!
I worked for a couple hours and I was strangely not very hungry this morning. When my hunger decided to show itself, I composed my Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats!
Recipe is found here. I had it with a hidden layer of cacao nibs in the middle and then I sprinkled the top with a few chocolate covered raisins.
It occurred to me that this Thursday Eric and I are donating blood. I am going to amp up my green monsters over the next couple days! I’ll probably have a big one for an afternoon snack today.
Updates:
- Last week I meant to mention that the Read page is now up-to-date based on the emails you sent me! I think I have over 300-400 blogs on there now! I can’t promise when I will be updating it again because it was hugely time consuming and I spent many hours on it. Should I be placing another call for blogs, I will post about it on OSG!
- Eric’s Kick-the Pop habit update: STILL POP FREE! He told me he almost cracked yesterday because a coworker almost ‘slipped’ him one when they were working and he was super thirsty. He said he almost just opened the can and gulped it down without even thinking about what it was. But he caught himself just in time. GO ERIC (and all of you who are doing the same!!!). He now drinks juice when he wants something sweet and he is drinking more tea lately too.
- Don’t forget Thursday is the last day you can send in your Shop 4 A Cause 2 submissions! I am still looking for A LOT more so please take a look and see if there are any books, fitness gadgets, clothing, services, etc you can part with for a great cause! Thank you!
Today’s question- Have you ever experienced ‘taste-bud adaptation’ with certain foods? Foods/drinks that you used to hate but grew to love over time? or used to love but now hate?
A few that stand out for me:
I used to hate, but now I love…
- Tea without sweetener– I used to be the queen of putting artificial sweetener in my tea from green tea to black tea and any herbal tea in between. Now I love tea without sweetener and I find that my taste buds actually appreciate the taste of the tea more now.
- Beets– over time my taste buds got used to them
- Non-sweet Green Monster’s – I have cut down the amount of fruit I need to put in the GM to enjoy the taste.
- Lemon water – my taste buds adapted to the sour taste
- All veggie juices
- Tomato paste
- Hummus
- Guacamole/avocados
My taste buds have definitely grown.
I used to hate…
Veggie juices
Onions
Potatoes
Brussels sprouts
Peanut butter(!)
Unsweetened tea
Avocados.
I can’t believe I used to hate ANY of them- I love ’em all now!!
xo
K
I love training my tastebuds! It worked with spinach, green monsters, oatmeal, peanut butter, lettuce, peppers, spicy foods, coffee, plain yogurt….yum yum!
I love guacamole/avocados and hummus! No need for my taste buds to change there!
Kicking soda/pop is really hard to do, so way to go Eric!
Things I now like:
Tofu: My Mom used to put tofu in a lot of things, in place of meat. My brother and I hated it. Now I love tofu and stir-fry of all kinds.
Banansas: Why I didn’t like them, I haven’t a clue.
Oatmeal: Until my aunt made it one day when I was about 10, and my brother and I loved it!
Things I liked as a kid, that most kids didn’t like:
Brussel sprouts
Beets
Cabbage
Any squash
I was just wondering if you drink your lemon juice with a straw? I’ve seen those super cool glass straws you have, and I’ve read about lemon juice hurting your teeth, although most of the time I hear about that if someone is a habitual lemon sucker (I know pregnant women sometimes get this craving), but I was wondering what you thought about that.
One thing I have learned to LOVE is spinach. As a kid I thought spinach was gross, and I never liked the idea of cabbage until I had it – love at first bite. Mmmm, cabbage.
Anyway, just wanted to say that I *love* your blog! I’m usually a bit of a lurker, but I am always excited when you’ve updated. :)
Yea, Eric! Thanks so much for the update, Angela.
Eric is still our hero! :)
I am Diet Coke-free 4+ weeks now and my husband is Coke-free 2+ weeks, and we don’t even miss the pop…who would have thought?! We’ve been enjoying cold Brita-filtered water and my husband uses orange juice or lemonade when he’s thirsty…please keep us updated from time to time! Thanks!
Congrats!!!
I feel like my taste buds have evolved significantly since my younger years. I used to abhor goat cheese, and now I’m obssessed with it. I don’t even know how I could dislike such a beautiful, tasty thing. I’ve grown to love olives (used to hate them), tomatoes (ditto), and some types of mushrooms (I still have some issues with them, but it’s mostly about their texturee and not the taste).
I now can’t stand artificial sweetners (they taste so chemically), and the overly intense sweet tastes of diet sodas. Eww, ewww, ewww….I also now prefer the taste of natural, organic nut butters (I am starting to make my own!) instead of nut butters loaded with preservatives and sweeteners. I’m really starting to admire the taste of foods in their natural state!
yup me too!
Go Eric!!
You used to hate hummus?? We were love at first bite :D I used to hate (but now love)…
– Brussel sprouts
– Mango
– Curry
I got used to tea without sweetener, too. I drank it a few times when I was super thirsty, and I was so focused on how it was quenching my thirst that I didn’t think about it being kind of bitter. I think that helped me get used to it. I’m originally from the South, though, and I grew up drinking sweet tea, so when I put ice in my tea, I’m still a little disappointed that it’s not sweeter.
I am doing Pop Free too! I haven’t had one since March 1. No regular or diet. It hasn’t been that tough, only craved it a few times. I wish I could do this with other things.
I now love (which I used to dislike): yogurt (but still not plain), guacamole, and kalamata olives
congrats!
I used to be afraid of guacamole and avocado because of the green color! That’s scary for a kid! Now I love it though!
I also used to steer clear of all things veggie, but now I enjoy them!
But onions – I can’t get over my aversion! I enjoy the flavor, but I hate the texture for some reason. I’m hoping this changes with age — I AM slowly getting better with eating them cut up small though!
i used to HATE mushrooms and onions. literally. if any food touched them i wouldn’t eat it. i was never a picky eater growing up, too! but put these two in front of me and bleh, i would refuse it. since changing my diet (to vegetarian, basically 95% vegan!) not only do i LOVE mushrooms and onions, i seriously can’t live without them! funny how that happens, right :)?
angela, one quick question: when you juice a lemon, do you leave the skin on or do you scrape out the insides? i always refrain from buying lemonades because i hate the gross amounts of added sugar! but since i just got a juicer i can finally make nice, ice cold lemonades AND control the sugar input. jut wondering how you do it :)!!!
I wash it and cut it in half and into the juicer it goes!
You can also obviously squeeze by hand too! :)
Angela:
Have you ever tried rhubarb? There is lots of it growing locally. It is considered a spring tonic. It is a pretty pinky colour and a clean, tangy taste. It would be a great addition to your VOO. To cook you take about 5 c of rhubard with 1 T of water and cook on low. It cooks down quickly. Process in food processor and presto you have a new, pretty pink layer to add to your oats.
I have and I didn’t like it at all…maybe it is something that needs to grow on me!
I dont know if I could do a green monster without the fruit! good for you!
I agree with you on the beets! As I child, I wanted to like them so much. Every sunday, my mother served them with spaghetti, and it turned the noodles pink. I thought that was so cool! But every time I tried them, I was disgusted. But somehow as an adult, my taste buds have adapted, and I love them!
My list of food loves now includes oatmeal (yeah I hated it!!), bananas, avocado, and tons more all thanks to the blogworld seriously.
Still working on beets and papaya and arugula though !
I used to hate coffee without sugar, but now I drink it with just a little almond milk and I LOVE it. Wine too, I hated wine, now I cant imagine life without it! :)
Its funny how these things change eh?
I used to hate tomatoes and now I’m slowly learning to eat them!
Good for Eric for being pop free so long!
Used to hate- sweet potatoes, onions and balsamic vinegar.
Yay, for Eric!!! :)
Sweet potatoes, Avocado, Tomatoes, Dark Chocolate [I used to haaate it, now I can’t eat milk chocolate!], Tea [thanks to you actually!! I hated tea until I tried Japanese Green Sencha!], Cottage Cheese, Blueberries, Wine, Coconut Water, Curry and I’m sure there are a few more! So so crazy :) I’ve never been big on sweeteners and never really used artificial sweeteners either. I used to always have some sort of pop in my fridge throughout college but haven’t had any diet or regular soda in FORever. I never would drink more than 1, like every other day though..but I have had a few sips and it just tastes AWful! lol
Goodness, I couldn’t imagine not liking avos : )
I am obsessed with drinking PLAIN sencha — thanks to YOU! <3
I used to add sugar to everything. I’ve gotten used to drinking tea plain, and not drinking real soda.
I’ve never been a picky eater, but I hated onions until a few years ago. Now I like them, just not raw! I also didn’t like beer until my husband started working at a fabulous local microbrewery and I tasted some REAL beer :-) All in moderation, of course.
Ginger. It used to be way too pungent for me as a kid. Now I eat it in my GMs and love the candied version as a treat!!!
I guess they’ve done studies and kids have not only more tastebuds than grownups, but also have buds that “prefer” sweet or sour flavors more than they do as we age.
**Interesting**
I used to really hate iced coffee. I could not understand why any of my customers at Starbucks would order it! I would only drink iced lattes. In an effort to save money, I switched to iced coffee at some point anyway . . . and now I like it so much better than iced lattes! Funny how that happens with time.
I used to HATE tea without sweetener. Back when I was a splenda addict it was all I could drink. Now I am with Eric (I kicked my soda addiction) and tea in just water is my new breakfast drink! I also have started to hate the idea of mayonnaise. I used to put it on everything and now can’t even look at it.
I used to hate (or hadn’t tried) but now love:
avocados
mussels
eggplant
chard
broccoli
I share your love of lemon juice in water. Unfortunately lemons are just way too pricey to justify buying a bunch for water, so I use 100% lemon juice in a bottle. Not quite the same, but still tastes good. I could seriously eat a whole lemon!!
Say it isn’t so, you used to hate hummus. That’s crazy.
Angela!
Im a college student who is obsessed with your blog! I keep up as often as I can and have read your tips on how to avoid the Freshman 15. I understand how you slowly changed your habits, and I want to do the same, however, what I don’t know how to do is change my mind set. I’ve always wanted to be healthier and better to my body, but want to do more than pretend and risk going back to my old ways. Any tips?
Hope all is well
my tastebuds have changed a lot too!!! (in the past 5 years i would say)
i used to hate but now i love:
-berries (blackberries, strawberries especially)
-beets
-avocados
-green smoothies
-flaxseeds
-oatmeal
there’s a lot…..
I can’t really think of things i used to hate.
I was always kind of weird. When I played soft ball i would always squeeze an orange into my water because i figured it would be more hyrating. So lemon water to be is delicious.
I guess i hated brown bread, but would NEVER buy white again.
My entire diet.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 years ago and was forced to eat gluten free. A lot of gluten free stuff tastes… different, but I don’t notice it anymore.
Also, when I was forced to pay attention to every single bite that went into my mouth, I realized how much junk I was eating. It’s amazing what we stuff into our faces without thinking twice!
My lemon water doesn’t look frothy like that but it still tastes good. Maybe it’s because I use the juice that is already made instead of fresh squeezed…not sure.
I used to hate, but now I love…
mushrooms
oysters (raw)
sushi (I always thought I wouldn’t like it until I tried it…YUM!)
unsweetened tea
dark chocolate
I used to love but not don’t really like…
raisins
I used to hate oatmeal SO much, but now I love it!!!!
Believe it or not I used to hate Watermelon!! Now I love it, it reminds me of summer.
I also used to hate avocado… now I eat it on everything and anything ;)
Oatmeal is another one…but thanks to Overnight Oats I can’t go a few days without it!
I used to hate but now I love…
1) Avocados — before I went vegan I wouldn’t even LOOK at one, now I eat them with a spoon right out of the peel!
2) Olives. Esp. garlic marinated, but plain too. What was I missing all those years??
…still working on beets :-/ but I hope they’re next! Beets are big in Germany.
There’s so many for me! I found that very recently (as in this year) i’m liking almost all the things I used to hate!
-Haddock (I still turn my nose up at “fishier” fish, though! ;) )
-Avocados/Guacamole (Used to almost make me gag..now I crave them!)
-Raw tomatoes
Woo for Eric! That’s awesome!
I used to hate mushrooms, mustard and pickles, now I can’t get enough. I put all three on everything, and my pickle obsession is borderline unhealthy ;) Just making up for lost time!
Quick question…what are cacao nibs and where can I find them? I went to Whole Foods yesterday after reading this and could only find chocolate covered nibs or nibs mixed with nuts and coffee. Please help! Thanks. Oh, and thanks for the amazing choco-covered raisin idea…I simply melted some vegan semi-sweet chips and stirred in raisins. Yum!
Tempeh, black coffee, unsweetened tea, plain salad/veggies, wine, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice have all grown on me! I hated tempeh for years until I accidentally had it at an amazing restaurant in Eugene, OR (Cornbread Cafe), and I have been hooked ever since! I am only 20 (almost 21!), so maybe a few of these taste changes have come with age, but I know plenty of full grown adults that still can’t eat salad without it being drenched in ranch and can’t drink tea or coffee without massive loads of sugar.
Previously did not particularly care for beets, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage or brussel sprouts. But now there are so many terrific vegan recipes online containing them that I’ve changed my mind:D
(Not all at once, obviously haha. Different recipes for each.)