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We talked to Brian Wansink (website, Mindless Eating book, Slim by Design book), former Cornell professor and author of “Mindless Eating” and “Slim by Design,” and he shared some amazing ideas on why people might dislike certain foods: “In most cases, it’s for idiosyncratic reasons, like they don’t like the taste or texture of it — largely because they are unfamiliar with it. In its extreme form, even the idea of some foods is repulsive to people. That’s why we don’t see duck tongue or sea cucumber or Rocky Mountain oysters as an appetizer special at TGI Fridays.
What is more interesting are the cases where a person has a subconscious reason why they hate a food. This is generally because they associate a food with a terrible event. Like they had fish once and choked on a bone, or they got food poisoning from potato salad, or they gulped down sour milk. We did one study that looked at some WWII U.S. Marines that hated rice and others that loved it. We discovered the Marines who hated it were exposed to heavy combat and had gruesome associations with it. In contrast, those who liked rice were generally behind the lines.”
We also wondered if Brian Wansink had any tips for getting used to foods we don’t really like: “Two ways you can do this as an adult. You can change your thinking about it, and you can change the way you eat it.
Say you think you hate eggplant, but your partner loves it. First, think of how the food is similar to other foods you eat that you do like (‘eggplant’s pretty similar to zucchini, and I like that’), and then season it and prepare it in a similar way until you grow accustomed to it.
A second way is the paired association method. You pair it with foods you like, and it benefits from the taste halo from the other foods. (‘That was a great meal. I guess eggplant’s pretty good after all.’)”
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Brian Wansink also shared which foods people usually dislike: “The universal formula for hating a food is when two of these three things happen: weird texture, gross, or bitter. This is why most people don’t like organ meats (weird texture and gross) or why they don’t like unfamiliar vegetables and fruits, like bitter melon or durian fruit.”
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Brian Wansink shared which food he’d tried and didn’t like at all: “One time I got lost in the Romanian countryside and a kind family invited me to have dinner with them. They served a drink that was red wine mixed with Pepsi, which was something this family saved for special occasions. I love both red wine and Pepsi, but I held my breath so I could choke it down. Interestingly, I tried it a couple of years ago for fun, and I liked it a lot more because I had come to associate it with this family’s kindness. Also, liver is great if it’s made by a great chef, but not very great at a local diner. I’ve learned that lesson.”
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We also spoke to MD dietitian Edvard Grisin (website and Instagram), and he shared his own insight on the topic: “There are a few reasons why we do like certain types of food or overall like eating it. First of all, we should emphasize that food gives us energy for our daily activities. Without food, a person will not survive for a long period of time. Despite the fact that in developed countries the amount of easily available food is scarce, in other parts of the world with a fear of malnutrition, death is a motivator to eat anything that is available.
Other causes of liking food: Habits: We do know that food is closely related to our environment and the way we’ve seen our parents, or any person we admire, eating. Habits that we are taught in childhood can accompany us for a long time. Our body is very adaptive - if we teach it to eat 6 times a day, it will be hungry 6 times a day.
Environment: On the other hand, some food tastes good only during specific occasions - I believe most of us can reminisce about those pancakes made by mamas or special desserts that only grandmas could make. Food is a part of our positive memories, where we would want to come back more often. Psychology: There are theories of food, particularly carbohydrates and sugars, being as addictive as drugs are. We react to the structure, taste, form, or even the sight of food when it’s in front of us. If we look at the physiology of nutrient sensing [and our] brain or dopamine secretion, we would see many similarities. Sadly, it is not very simple as it is when talking about eating behavior. Because of all my aforementioned reasons for eating, we can’t say that food is addictive in isolation. It is more addictive in special moments like boredom, parties, or is more often alcohol-related. Therefore, overeating should be evaluated in the person’s whole lifestyle picture.”
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Edvard Grisin shared how you can get used to foods you don’t really like: “There are a few techniques that could be worth trying: Visual look: We eat with our eyes. The visual look of food is usually the first trigger that will make us fall in love or, vice versa, dislike what we are going to eat. People seeking healthy eating habits see everything in black or white: if you say chicken breast, they imagine a boiled, unsalted piece of meat on a plate; if you say vegetables, people just put a whole tomato or cucumber on a plate without trying to chop it. When we hear the word ‘diet,’ our brain immediately reprograms to seek for a tasteless diet and 24/7 sense of starvation. But it shouldn’t be that way. What if I were to tell you that chicken breast could be overbaked with lemon zest and basil dressing, and that from a whole variety of vegetables, we could make ratatouille using the same ingredients and make it low-calorie, healthy, and suitable to every healthy diet? The first impression is the most important factor in success or failure. If someone goes on a diet - nutritionists, health coaches, and dietitians should take care of it in the first place.
Motivation: Every new habit takes time to master, and we have to clearly know WHY we are struggling, avoiding, doing things that we don’t like, or eating food that isn’t as tasty as fast food is. Take care of your surroundings. Limit access to high-carb, calorically dense foods, sweets and desserts that you are trying to avoid. Surround yourself with people that have similar beliefs, goals or habits. They will be your motivation, support and destination. Those are only a few things that could lead us on our way to mastering new habits.”
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Edvard Grisin shared which foods people usually don’t enjoy: “Usually people hate things that smell bad, look unpleasant or are associated with bad memories or life circumstances. It all goes to our memories and emotions. More often, children dislike eating vegetables or olives but start eating them when they get older. Maybe it is because childhood is more about fun, parties, sweet stuff… On the other hand, maybe it is due to changes in the environment we live in, the experience we get tasting food again and again in the same or new combinations. Of course, we can only speculate why we dislike something that other people eat. It’s cultural, emotional, maybe even physical, but there is no one answer to this question.”
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We asked Edvard Grisin to share if he’s ever eaten something he disliked: “Actually, maybe I did. I remember clearly my childhood years when I said to my mom that her potato meat-stuffed dumplings were horrible. But it was a 100% emotional expression as I am thinking about it now. Now, even if the food smells differently to what my taste buds are accustomed to, I try to understand the reason why it tastes or is served this way. Every product has its cultural history - if we could know the history behind Napoleon cake or even chicken Kiev, it would change people’s attitudes toward it in a good way. The more we know about food, the more respect we give it. There is always a storyline on our plate I wish everyone could try to read.”
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