When trying to understand your taste/flavor preferences it’s helpful to see which flavors belong to what category. Knowing your taste preferences makes deciding what meals to have a little easier, because it gives you guidance. Further, it can help you manage your cravings, by understanding what taste preference you feel like having, and which type of flavor can help satisfy this craving in a more healthy way that aligns with your fat loss and weight management goals.
Think about what things on this list you enjoy having, then you can start to trial adding these different tastes to various vegetables to find combos you enjoy eating the best!
Flavor Categories:
Savory/Umami: balances bitterness and enhances sweetness.
food types: Sea salt, hard cheeses, soy sauce, fish sauce, seaweed, miso, mushrooms, pickled veggies like kimchi.
Sweet: balances sourness and bitterness while enhancing saltiness.
food types: Sugar, stevia, maple syrup, honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, BBQ sauce.
Sour: balances spicy, sweetness, and bitterness while enhancing saltiness.
food types: Lemon/lime/orange juice, various vinegars (red rice, balsamic, apple cider), tomato paste, Greek yogurt, sour cream, pickled veggies like sauerkraut.
Bitter: balances sweetness and saltiness.
food types: Coffee beans/tea leaves, cacao, grapefruit juice, beer, dandelion greens.
Spicy: balances sweetness.
food types: Hot sauce, wasabi, horseradish, Dijon mustard, jalapenos/habaneros.
Utilizing Your Flavor Preferences:
How to NOT make meal planning while in calorie deficit boring!
Identify the flavors you enjoy from each category. Make sure to include them throughout your weekly meals/snacks to increase satisfaction.
Experiment by combining these tastes with various vegetables to discover appealing flavor combinations. This can help you learn to like veggies more.
Learn your patterns to better keep yourself on track.
Understand your cravings by recognizing the taste preference you desire. Go a step further and start to write down the specific flavor cravings you are noticing and the time of day, mood, and any other relevant details.
Opt for healthier alternatives within that flavor category to satisfy your cravings while aligning with fat loss and weight management goals.
Incorporating a variety of flavors into your meals not only enhances the dining experience but also allows you to make healthier food choices that you actually enjoy eating. By identifying and understanding your flavor preferences, you can make informed decisions that contribute to your overall well-being. Next post will be about uncovering food textures to help you raise awareness, learn, understand and even re-train your food preferences!
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