PROVIDA SUPPORT COMMUNITY

Help! My food has no taste!

Just a brief intro to this thread. Our wonderful Recipe Consultant Gail has the position with Provida as recipe consultant for a very good reason...she is an EXCELLENT cook herself! She has a wealth of knowledge about foods and various forms of preparation, which are invaluable to us. We entrust the formatting of all recipe submissions to her. Not only does she do a superb job at that, but she also consults here DAILY with regard to food and eating with our community members. Below are a few of her responses cut and paste together to help members who claim that the food is too bland!! Gail to the rescue!!

An unfortunate reality when removing added salts, sugars and fats from your diet is that you're probably going to notice the lack. Take heart! This is only a temporary effect. As your palate adjusts to this new way of eating, you'll soon begin to appreciate the natural flavors of foods. Truly, there is life after salt.

Part of what makes the transition period difficult is our tendency to stick with our old reliable ways of preparing foods. The obvious trouble here is that suddenly Old Reliable no longer tastes like the food you've come to know and love. What do you do then? Branch out. Fool your tastebuds by shifting gear: either try another preparation entirely (perhaps hashed browns with sautéed onions and peppers instead of a yawning, empty baked potato?) or try another carb entirely. Your taste buds have no basis of comparison because you're eating something new or different. Pretty sneaky, eh?

What else can you do? Kick up the herbs and spices. Just be sure to check your bottles if you're using dried herbs or spices to make sure it doesn't contain salt, sugar or MSG. Cook with fresh garlic, onions, shallots or leeks. Sauté in wine (table wine, please. Anything labeled cooking wine has additives we don't want.) Use chiles (dried or fresh-- your choice) and/or tomatillos. Add mushrooms. Cook with vinegars-- red wine, balsamic, flavored... Experiment with marinades-- not only do they add flavor to your foods, they also serve as tenderizing agents for tough cuts of meat. You'll find some recipes for marinades in your binder, more in the condiment section of the Recipe Exchange. You'll also find various spice combinations and recipes for on-plan versions of ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and more in that same section.

And remember, your tastes are in the process of changing. Don't make the mistake of thinking because you previously hated eggplant you're doomed to hate it for life. Just because we're adults doesn't mean our tastes are locked in. Different preparations yield entirely different results-- some of them magical. Allow change to happen. Open yourself to possibilities.

Lastly, think outside of the box. Just because you can't fry your foods doesn't mean you can't sauté them. Just use no-salt-added chicken broth instead of fat. If you're used to baking, try broiling. Grill. Poach. Stew. Roast. Stir-fry (again, you can use chicken or veggie broth) Crockpot. Thread foods on skewers. Variations are all around you, waiting to be discovered.

Have fun with your food-- even though Mom told you never to play with it!