Are You Addicted to Overly-Aggressive Food Tastes?

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

This article explores changing your taste buds over time to prefer eating healthy natural unprocessed foods



If you've been a newsletter subscriber of mine for some time, you've probably noticed that I like to talk about food... and healthy eating in particular. I've always said that healthy eating does NOT have to be boring and bland, and if you know a few preparation tricks, can actually be exciting and delicious.

Many people seem to falsely believe that they'll never be able to get lean if they don't eat what is thought to be typical bodybuilder fare -- dry plain chicken breasts, plain broccoli, tuna fish, oatmeal, etc. If you've read my newsletters for some time, you know that I'm against this type of boring menu, and like to give healthy meal ideas that have a little more appeal.

However, here is one of the most important things you can do for yourself if you want to eat healthier for life and make it a HECK OF A LOT easier to get lean and stay that way permanently...

Learn to adjust your taste buds to enjoy the natural unadulterated taste of real food -- unprocessed foods!

This is one of the main problems that I see so many people face with being able to control their eating... they have grown up with processed foods and additives that are excessively AGGRESSIVE TASTES.

* So many foods have excessive added sugars, corn syrups, artificial sweeteners, etc

* So many foods have excessive added trans fats, refined vegetable oils, and other processed fats

* So many foods are laden with excessive (and potentially dangerous) flavor enhancers such as MSG and processed commercial salt

All of this massive onslaught of overly aggressive tastes have rendered most people's taste buds senseless when it comes to the natural taste of real unprocessed foods.

I was having brunch with a couple friends recently and I noticed one of them dumped this huge heaping spoonful of sugar into their coffee. I can't even imagine being able to gag down a coffee that was so heavily loaded with sugar.

Even diet drinks (which I'd never drink because of the harmful artificial sweeteners) are so excessively sweet these days, they're not even refreshing. I can't understand how people can drink something that tastes like pure syrup.

It's funny but one of my recommendations when people ask for my advice with their eating habits is to give up drinking a sweetened drink with their meals (this means no diet drinks either)... they look at me like I'm crazy and say "How can I possibly eat a meal without a soda or a diet soda?"

If you're addicted to drinking a sweet drink with every meal, it would be a wise decision to start to wean yourself off of them and drink water or unsweetened iced tea instead.

Here's a quick quiz to see if you're officially addicted to overly aggressive tastes:

1. If given the choice, would you choose:

a. sausage or hot dog b. steak, burger, or chicken breast

2. Do you prefer:

a. sweetened hot tea, iced tea, or coffee (with added sugar or artificial sweeteners) b. unsweetened tea or black coffee

3. If given a choice for dessert, do you prefer:

a. cake, pie, or ice cream b. a piece of fruit

4. If you like chocolate, do you prefer:

a. milk chocolate b. extra dark chocolate

I could think of more, but that'll do for now... If you answered a's more than you answered b's, then you may be addicted to overly aggressive food tastes, and that could be making you pack on more pounds indirectly.

One of the main problems is that needing to eat aggressive tasting foods means that all of that extra salt, MSG, added processed fats, sugars, and artificial sweeteners are playing havok with your hormones, and making you crave extra calories that your body doesn't need.

Don't worry though, it CAN be easy to wean yourself off of these aggressive tastes. I've successfully done it.

About 5 years ago, I'd have called you crazy if you said I'd ever be drinking unsweetened tea or black coffee... I always needed to add a sweetener back then... but now, I actually PREFER to drink them both unsweetened.

What I did was just slightly reduce the amount of sweetener I added over time, and eventually I got used to using none, and actually started to prefer the natural taste of coffee or tea instead of just tasting the sweetness.

Now you can start to see how this all ties back into enjoying the REAL taste of food instead of the ADDITIVES in food!

My healthy eating recommendations for your leaner healthier body:

* Enjoy the taste of real meats, such as grass-fed steaks, fish, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin... instead of needing the aggressive tastes of the additives in sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and other processed meats. * Start to enjoy the taste of the actual coffee or tea instead of the taste of the sugar or artificial sweetener. * Start drinking water or unsweetened tea with meals (instead of soda or sweetened drinks) at least every other day, and try to increase that to every day eventually. * Use herbs and spices in your cooking instead of heavy use of salt. * Try to wean yourself off of cakes, pies, candies, and other sweets... Eat mostly fruit or small amounts of super-dark chocolate instead. * Avoid eating any and all deep fried foods and processed starch-based side dishes - mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.

Even doing just some of these simple tips can help you to change your tastes over time and help to overcome your addiction to the overly aggressive tastes that food marketers have pushed on us our entire lives.

I hope these ideas help you to eat healthier, and enjoy food more!

One more note for today...

I wanted to congratulate all of my readers who have achieved phenomenal results and changed their body and mind by using my TruthAboutAbs program. I get stories in all the time about these successes.

Anybody can get great results too... you're not "cursed with a slow metabolism"... that's a lame cop-out from people that are too lazy to take action and change their body.



Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary Certified Nutrition Specialist Certified Personal Trainer Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

For more information on reducing a big belly, please visit www.Big-Belly.info

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Your Emotional Brain and You

Contributed by Dr. Mike Gosling

The internal or external events that occur in your life are interpreted by your brain. If in fact we have positive feelings about a life event, that's equates to a Non-Problem Status. So, we really only need to worry about life dramas when they create a negative emotion. Why? This article, the first of seven, will help you understand why.

Today, I'm going to share with you the importance of using your emotional brain to understand how your body reacts to events.

Randy Pausch, a 47 year old college professor, who died recently of pancreatic cancer, said, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want". What is your experience of events in your life?

Dr Mike Gosling has said, "Life is a series of events. Every event is an opportunity for change. It's from the most painful events that you change the most." Do you agree with what Dr. Mike said?

Every life event that occurs, gets interpreted by your brain. External events are received into your brain through our five senses and we are constantly busily examining our internal environment alsol - what's going on inside of our brain and body - to assess and to work out what's going on in our life. If we have positive feelings about life events, that's a Non-Problem Status. Because when good things occur, it's 'no problem' for us, we don't care. In fact we feel good about it.

And, we really need only worry about life dramas when they create a negative emotional charge and when we have a negative experience. Why?

Every negative experience that we have results in us accumulating stress, because every single emotion, every negative emotion that you have, is actually an Adrenalin response.

What's occuring is that your body is producing a stress response - producing a chemical because our brain has interpreted some form of danger to us and our well-being, some form of threat.

It's actually our body producing a stress response - producing a chemical because of the fact that our brain has interpreted some form of danger to our well-being. Some form of threat.

Let me explain a little bit more. If I were to draw for you a cartoon sketch of a cross-section of our brain, the two major parts of the brain that are useful to know about is a section that lies just above the brain stem called the Limbic System and the Cortex, the thinking part of the brain.

The Limbic System does all the feeling in the brain. This is a primitive part of the brain - animals have a Limbic system also - and it is responsible for our preservation instinct.

The other part of the brain, which does all the thinking, is called the Cortex. Now human beings have a very developed Cortex, so we have a larger brain than most animals. The Limbic System and the Cortex are constantly inter-playing with one another.

The Limbic System assesses first, using all the different senses that come into the body, through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.

So even if you're tasting something, that experience is first assessed by the Limbic System for danger to see whether or not there is anything about what you are sensing that is going to cause a threat to this organism that it's looking after.

That's all for now. In my next article I'll share with you the story of the zebra; how it uses its brain to deal with danger or threat. Are we like the zebra? Its all part of what I call The Science of Emotional Wealth. So be sure to keep an eye out for my articles.

The material in this email is only provided for information and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this email. Instead, readers should consult their physician or other qualified health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Have you had enough of feeling overwhelmed with life dramas and wish you could regain a feeling of being in control? Did you know that when you're stressed it's hard to concentrate on reading books? Get Karen Gosling's complete set of 12 one-hour DVDs and audio CDs on surviving life dramas for you to watch and start to release your pain and (http://www.survivinglifedramas.com/) release your pain and create a life without drama.

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Dealing With A Sick Child

Contributed by Carol Ann

Parents experience many emotional roller coaster rides as they raise their children, but one of the most stressful times is when they have to deal with a sick child. It is a helpless feeling in many ways because you often know there's not much you can do for them to ease their pain. If your child has suddenly become ill and you can't diagnose it, then get to a doctor right away. Obviously if it is a life threatening situation, then call 911 with no hesitation.

If it is not a life or death crisis then take a second to breathe and think. Most of the time our initial reaction to our child becoming ill or injured is to rush into action. This is fine if you are going to stop them from bleeding, or start CPR to keep them breathing, however when your child is ill you must think clearly. Many times a watch and wait approach is the best one. Initially when a child becomes sick or injured, they may react as if they are dying, however, this will usually calm down within a few minutes and then just monitor them closely. Make note of their behaviors, eating, sleeping, and breathing. These will more than likely clue you in to whether or not you need to get them to a doctor.

No matter what, though, you should always trust your instincts. Parental instincts are rarely wrong. In those cases, do what you need to do and seek medical advice right away.

The head is a part of the body that tends to bleed a lot, so head injuries are likely to bleed freely for a few minutes before they stop. If the child is vomiting, it is important to keep him hydrated, so give him plenty of liquids, sippable through a straw if possible. Ginger ale can be an effective drink because of the calming effects on the stomach that the ginger provides.

It is important to remember to keep a clear head when your child gets sick. That way there will be no panic and the child will feel more comfortable too. And by all means, don't forget to follow your instincts.

Parents are always interested in enhancing their (http://www.parentinginformed.com) parenting skills. If you are seeking advice on children, check out www.ParentingInformed.com, the Internet's most expansive selection of child resources available, from kids art to (http://www.parentinginformed.com/listings/home-schooling) homeschooling. You'll be happy you did.

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