taste change?

[joyce09]

I have been high-raw for a couple of years. Just this month I tried some savory green smoothie recipes and also smoothies with lots of cranberries and other sour-tasting fruits. I was surprised that their tastes were quite acceptable to me. I have always thought I cannot stand too much greens in my smoothies and I don't like sour-tasting fruits. I used to prefer sweet fruits.

Is it possible that after going raw for some time, one will develop more taste for greens and sour fruits (instead of clinging to sweet fruits)? Is there any scientific basis or logic behind it?

[Veganforlife]

YES. Don't know about the scientific data but me too when I discovered green smoothies ONLY would have them sweet, but I like a fierce veggie smoothie a lot more now...

You are REALLY tasting foods now. Your tastebuds are not being camouflaged by sugars and dyes and nasty stuff. This this is the logic behind it.

And I find I don't need as much food. Sometimes when I want a sweet treat? A date stuff with a Brazil nut suffices that want/need...

It's way cool!

[cara4art]

Absolutely! I really noticed this similarly too. I do agree that once one is OFF the junk foods, excessively-sweetened commercial foods etc., and sticking with raw natural foods, one's taste buds DO get re-calibrated to what is natural. This takes some time, and it might vary for different people depending on how bad one's diet and for how long too. I found on the occasions that I gave into temptations to taste this or that commercial sweet I would think afterward "OMG! This is just NASTY!" and often just have to spit it out! My husband is saying the same thing and he's not even high-raw - just a lot of produce in his case. These kinds of learning experiences serve to validate the raw path, IMO.
I still do like sweet fruits though as well as tart ones, but I also eat plenty of greens in my smoothies and salads, so I think it balances out. Interestingly enough, even as a kid, I disliked, and would often become ill from something that was too sweet, and I tend to like things on the tart side. Lemons and limes are staples in my house! Saw a Facebook post by Russell James the chef about adding a pinch of Himalayan salt and some lemon juice to those green smoothies to make a world of difference. Gotta try that. Actually, I have used lemon and some dates with greens for one of my green smoothie combos, and it's terrific!

[IamLoved]

I also noticed this change in my taste buds. When I first went raw I stuck to mainly Romaine lettuce and baby spinach in my salads. After being raw for awhile I began to eat my salads with just spinach and arugula. Arugula is very bitter and is something that I would not have been able to tolerate when I first went raw, it was just way too bitter for me. But after being raw for about 4 months I started craving it.
This also works the other way as well. If you start eating SAD foods again then your taste buds will once again find these foods offensive or too strong.

[Dimond]

All food ends up tasting better or more intense with raw. This is why when people claim they hate vegetables, I tell them they only "think" they do.

[Green_Woman]

Great response, Diamond.

I LOVE my veggies. According to my Mom, I have always preferred fruit and veggies over meat and pasta. She would serve Mac'N Cheese and Green Beans for dinner and I'd hog the beans... I also used to LOVE eating steamed brocoli. And when I was ten, I nearly bankrupted the family food budget with a voracious appetite for pears.

So it was odd to me that when I first went 100% RAW over three years ago, I found greens ODD and started cravings foods I didn't even like when I was eating SAD!!!

Fortunately, that was awhile back and I've earned those RAW tastebuds through the last few years of experimentation, boundary-pushing, and persistence. :)

These last 34 days of 100% RAW has been really enjoyable, too... I'm starting to crave things I never even knew existed before. Like dulce!

[DopeRawAbundance]

This is why when people claim they hate vegetables, I tell them they only "think" they do.

This is the case for lik, everything in life. That's why I don't really have any foods I don't like, because if as long as its good for me I can learn to love it.

[RawPaw]

I think junk food is very effective at pushing emotions way down, while healthy foods helps the emotions rise out and expell from the body. Life is about pain management, the sorrow of eventual death and everything inbetween—like insects fornicating when they know their death is coming soon we gravitate to things that help us escape our feelings. Dealing with pain is the hardest thing to do and effects the way we percieve the world, including how food tastes.

[katchmoleen]

The other day I made a pudding out of my last young coconut, mixed with dates and cacao powder. I was so looking forward to it and thought it would be out of this world and was surprised to find it didn't really turn my crank that much, just too sweet and rich. I much prefer the savory stuff, though I still like a bit of sweet now and then.

[Dimond]

This is why when people claim they hate vegetables, I tell them they only "think" they do.

The reason I say this about all raw produce is because even though I thought I was being healthy, I barely ate much raw produce. And didn't like most of the cooked stuff unless it was heavily disguised in sauces, marinades, grilled/steamed, with tons of other ingredients, etc. and even then I was picky. I have been really pleasantly surprised over the years to find out how much I actually really love fruits and vegetables and many with very little or no spices or processing. And it just keeps getting better. There is very little I won't eat. I didn't have to learn to love raw, I actually do love it way more than SAD.

[RawKnitster]

Yep, my tastes change all the time. If I say I don't like something, the next thing I know, I'm liking it. Going crazy over cranberries this fall. In smoothies, and in blender applesauce.

[laura-jane]

Yes, I have gone through the same thing. After eating one month 100% raw I noticed a drastic change. As time passes I am enjoying vegetables more and more and more. I agree, certain foods that would have been unpalatable to me before I went raw are my favourite foods now. I wrote a long blog post on this topic. I called it, "Don't screw up your palate!"

I use this concept of tastebud-changing as a big motivator to not cheat.

[stellaJewels]

As for scientific proof, I've always craved salt and finally learned I have Addison's Disease (nearly non-functioning adrenals), and that one symptom is salt craving, because salt stimulates the adrenals. In an experiment, they took out animal's adrenal glands and in one set only offered a regular diet and plain water; they all died within 3 days. The other set was offered a regular diet and salt water alongside regular water; they all chose to drink the salt water and lived indefinitely.

Sometimes we crave what our bodies need! I had a hard time thinking salt was good for me, but my body obviously needed it. Thankfully I found Celtic/Himalayan/REAL salt. They helped me get off steroids

[joyce09]

Thanks to all for your responses. I am greatly encouraged. I still don't like some strong greens. But now I can expect to like them in the future as I continue on this raw journey.

[margoss]

I'm very aware of salt now & pretty much avoid adding it.