DAY THIRTEEN • Taste is learned... and unlearned

Babies aren't born with an instinctive draw to consume refine sugar, nor do they naturally lean towards overly salted or extremely sour foods.  If you have ever watched an infant experience their very first taste of raw  sugar, lemon, or snack chips, you can easily see their initial reaction to such things is naturally unfavorable.  Reason suggests that the affinity for such food items is not innate, but rather learned, and begins after birth based on the foods that our primary caregivers provide through repetition.  If then, our tastes are learned, does it not stand to reason then that they can be unlearned?  Science has proven that this in fact is exactly the case. 

​As adults, often times or bodies fail to provide us with appropriate responses to the things we put in our mouths.  As infants, the initial reaction  our bodies present us with is frequently a warning signal that we need to be cautious about overconsumption of such items, or avoid them altogether.  Having been conditioned throughout childhood to eat whatever comes our way, we frequently find that we have lost this natural response altogether.  In our day and age, when food tends to be a conglomeration of isolated elements which are combined in order to extend the shelf life rather than to provide balanced nutrients or promote health, we actually run the risk of serious injury to our health by ignoring these natural warnings, and all the more in smaller infants.  There are many experts who feel that this is in fact the case, and that the rise in food sensitivities, allergies, auto immune disorders, and other disease processes is a growing evidence of our ignoring our bodies red flags for far too long. 

​Teaching our taste buds to readapt is not all that difficult to do.  The main method for doing so involves reducing the unhealthy food choices and replacing them largely with the healthy choices for a period of time.  There are a great deal of chemical additives mixed in with our packaged foods that are actually designed to create​ a food addiction (search ​excitotoxins​​ ​if you wish to know more) which further compel us to keep going back for more.  It is certainly a challenge to beat some of these food addictions, but it is most assuredly possible.  Some recommend replacing packaged foods with whole, plant based foods for a period of 21 days, but a rigid cleanse can actually help break food addictions in some individuals in as little as one week!  This is typically the approach we suggest for hoping for significant transformations.  ​Even so, there are some who find it is easier to overcome by eliminating one or two items over the course of a month, and doing so month by month until they have successfully transformed the majority of their food intake over a longer period of time.  Whichever method you choose, it is helpful to have the support of your friends and family in order to strengthen your resolve to stick with it and ultimately reach your goals.

​Unlearning old dietary habits and the love of lesser quality foods is something that anyone striving for balanced wellness should consider at some point in their journey.  In our Western world, we tend to be inundated with literally millions of so called "food" choices that simply make us sick rather than promote health.  You have been on this wellness challenge journey for almost two weeks now and if you have been diligent to keep up with the raw whole plant foods which we have suggested, you probably have seen an increase in your desire to consume raw whole plant foods on a daily basis (if not, keep it up, you are likely still cleansing and flushing out toxins).  Our bodies recognize good nutrient sources, and as we continue to provide them, we will begin to "crave" these healthful items more and more. and eventually we will also crave the junk food items less and less. 

​This wraps up DAY THIRTEEN • Taste is learned... and unlearned -- we challenge you to keep up the good work, and to keep fighting to "unlearn" your negative food cravings day by day as you maintain your faithfulness to your wellness journey.  We are glad you have chosen to make improvements in your life, and if food is a big one for you, we know you won't be disappointed as you find your wellness goals drawing nearer and nearer each day.