If my body was meant to eat veggies, then why do my taste buds completely disagree?

[James81]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

No, no it's not. It's physiological. Don't know how many times I have to say that. I also don't know how much I have to say, that as a child I did NOT eat processed foods, nor did I have additives in my food. It was all fresh, and it was all home cooked. I mean come on, we even bough the chickens live ( and I chased the headless chickens around my yard. Ah, to be young again) and finished them off at home. What factors modified my tongue to have more and larger taste buds then most people? The same taste buds that allow me to taste certain chemicals more then most. If you can pinpoint the food that caused that, then I'd love you for ever.

See, you don't LIKE the taste of leaves. There are a lot of things I don't LIKE. Plenty of healthy things to not like, yet I can still eat them just fine. If the taste is so bitter to me, that I can't even go as far as chewing it once, then that is more then just not liking something. I've also been like this since I was a tiny boy, so it's lot like I've had years to get used to other foods. I've always been very against eating raw salads.

Please stop trying to compare me to you, because you are making it look like I'm just faking it. Once you can program your taste buds to eat paper, or even leaves right off the tree, then come and talk to me. I mean yeah, anyone can train them selves to eat just about anything, be it your own urine, or even worse things ( if anyone has ever seen 2G1C), but how and when do you decide if your body is trying to tell you someting?

You've conditioned yourself (or have been conditioned) to believe that certain foods are bitter. You've also convinced yourself that you have these huge taste buds that can pick up on tastes that other people can't notice.

You are "against" eating raw salads. Is it any wonder why vegetables taste like trash to you?

You're neglecting the power of your mind and the power of your beliefs here. No, it's not a be all and end all (your mind), but it IS a pretty powerful thing. Especially if you link a certain food to a certain experience.

[Rose of Cairo]

I don't see what all this fuss is about. If you are, as you say, perfectly healthy, have plenty of energy and clarity of mind, and you don't like vegetables, then just don't eat any. Duh.

I don't know why you seem to be feeling the need to justify yourself or to convince the world that your decision is right. Are you having doubts about it? If you had none, nothing any of us can say about it could affect you in any way.

[jamesbiz]

Originally Posted by James81

You've conditioned yourself (or have been conditioned) to believe that certain foods are bitter. You've also convinced yourself that you have these huge taste buds that can pick up on tastes that other people can't notice.

You are "against" eating raw salads. Is it any wonder why vegetables taste like trash to you?

You're neglecting the power of your mind and the power of your beliefs here. No, it's not a be all and end all (your mind), but it IS a pretty powerful thing. Especially if you link a certain food to a certain experience.

Wow, ok " it's all in my mind". Yeah done with you, thanks. Your mind must have a lot of power, because you keep ignoring stuff, and making up your own conclusions.

[James81]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

Wow, ok " it's all in my mind". Yeah done with you, thanks. Your mind must have a lot of power, because you keep ignoring stuff, and making up your own conclusions.

lmao

What exactly are you doing here then? This is a whole forum filled with people who believe exactly what I just said (it's actually pretty central to what Steve's blog is all about).

[Cosette]

It's really obvious that you are not actually looking for help. What is the point of this thread?

Just don't eat vegetables, and shut up about it already. You're wasting our time pretending to be open to alternative views.

[jamesbiz]

Originally Posted by Cosette

It's really obvious that you are not actually looking for help. What is the point of this thread?

Just don't eat vegetables, and shut up about it already. You're wasting our time pretending to be open to alternative views.

When someone is telling me that it's all in my head and nothing I'm saying actually exists, then yeah I'm not going to be open to views like that. That's not help. There are views that I'm open to, but when the views are " there is absolutely no chance veggies can be unhealthy for you, no matter what your body is saying, as it's all in your head" then I'm not open to them. You wanna see what happens when someone mentions meat in a vegan/raw posters thread? You've posted what, 7 times? How much time of yours have I wasted exactly? The only time wasted is the time consciously decided to waste

[James81]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

When someone is telling me that it's all in my head and nothing I'm saying actually exists,

Who told you that?

It certainly wasn't me.

[jeff3]

Originally Posted by James81

You've conditioned yourself (or have been conditioned) to believe that certain foods are bitter. You've also convinced yourself that you have these huge taste buds that can pick up on tastes that other people can't notice.

You are "against" eating raw salads. Is it any wonder why vegetables taste like trash to you?

You're neglecting the power of your mind and the power of your beliefs here. No, it's not a be all and end all (your mind), but it IS a pretty powerful thing. Especially if you link a certain food to a certain experience.

I agree with this 100%, I think this is what the 3-5% of the population who are vegetarians have done, basically convinced themselves that eating meat is bad and unhealthy and only a veggie diet is acceptable.

They are "against" eating meat. Is it any wonder they experience health problems and dislike eating it so much?

[mirandaom]

I didn't read all the replies, so someone may have already said this, but scientists have recently isolated a genetic code that accounts for the distaste of vegetables. It's not your fault! It is an actual gene that causes your taste buds to be sensitive to the bitter taste of some green vegetables that is released when they are threatened. Essentially, it's a defense mechanism much like the eye-stinging onion! And you have a gene that allows you taste the bitterness far more strongly than say, a non-taster who just tastes the deliciousness of the veggie.

Or something like that. Hey, don't quote me on that.

[jamesbiz]

Originally Posted by mirandaom

I didn't read all the replies, so someone may have already said this, but scientists have recently isolated a genetic code that accounts for the distaste of vegetables. It's not your fault! It is an actual gene that causes your taste buds to be sensitive to the bitter taste of some green vegetables that is released when they are threatened. Essentially, it's a defense mechanism much like the eye-stinging onion! And you have a gene that allows you taste the bitterness far more strongly than say, a non-taster who just tastes the deliciousness of the veggie.

Or something like that. Hey, don't quote me on that.

that's pretty much what we went over, but if you ask some, it's all in my mind

I actually tried to chew on some lettuce today, while I was making my green smoothie. First few bites were ok, and then I bit a little further towards the thicker part, and the taste just hit me like a ton of bricks. Can't taste it in the smoothie tho. Actually kinda like the taste, but it's also mixed with watermelon and pomegranate juice so maybe that counteracts the bitterness? Or maybe only the act of chewing releases the bitter taste, and once it's mixed, there is no bitter taste left to release?

[liamona]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

that's pretty much what we went over, but if you ask some, it's all in my mind

It's definitely not all in your mind. I do think, if you have a lot of time to waste, you could train yourself to tolerate bitter tastes. But why bother?

I have to admit after reading the posts on this thread, I feel like my taste buds are inferior for liking such bitter stuff as brussel sprouts! I guess I'll never be a super-chef.

[James81]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

that's pretty much what we went over, but if you ask some, it's all in my mind

It is in your mind. Where else do you think you get the signals that tell you what you like or don't like? The moon? Asia? Licked on by kittens?

No, when you put a piece of lettuce in your mouth, your body sends a signal to your brain that that is lettuce. Then your brain searches for past experiences in order to interpret that signal. It finds the little file you have in your head that says "Jesus will kill me if I eat lettuce" and it spits that file back out into your body and your body reacts.

(in case you didn't notice, I'm being over-the-top on purspose...so, please don't take the Jesus remark literally as I was being factious)

But that's basic 6th grade science.

So, it stands to reason that if you were to find a way to erase that file that says "Jesus hates lettuce so should I," then you would be free to form a new "file" in your head about lettuce.

Your tastebuds are no different that anybody else's, so stop telling yourself that they are. You have different references (i.e. files) for vegetables than someone who likes vegetables.

And, of course, there ARE ways to change those "files" so that you could like vegetables. A very popular and effective way involves NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). But if you really wanna know that, I suggest you find a good book about it and read it. *shrug*

[mirandaom]

Originally Posted by jeff3

I agree with this 100%, I think this is what the 3-5% of the population who are vegetarians have done, basically convinced themselves that eating meat is bad and unhealthy and only a veggie diet is acceptable.

They are "against" eating meat. Is it any wonder they experience health problems and dislike eating it so much?

I am a vegetarian and I love it! Meat does deplete calcium in our bones, making the FDA recommend much more daily calcium intake than non-meat eaters need but really, the FDA is just a tool for making money. Yadda yadda yadda...the basic situation is this, if it feels right in your spirit to have a certain diet, then it is right for you. It's entirely a matter of personal choice.

I have never been healthier since I stopped eating meat two years ago. I have never felt better and I have never had more energy. That is my personal experience though and I would not deign to assume everyone would experience the same thing.

[jamesbiz]

Originally Posted by mirandaom

I am a vegetarian and I love it! Meat does deplete calcium in our bones, making the FDA recommend much more daily calcium intake than non-meat eaters need but really, the FDA is just a tool for making money. Yadda yadda yadda...the basic situation is this, if it feels right in your spirit to have a certain diet, then it is right for you. It's entirely a matter of personal choice.

I have never been healthier since I stopped eating meat two years ago. I have never felt better and I have never had more energy. That is my personal experience though and I would not deign to assume everyone would experience the same thing.

As people keep saying to me, mind over matter? If you truly believe in your heart that meat was bad for you, would you not suffer from eating meat?

[Kasha]

I've been asking similar questions, not only about food but other habits as well. If heroin or marijuana 'feel good' then according to the logic being brought forward here would mean that they are good for us.

I've never tried heroin so cannot comment on that. But in the case of marijuana, maybe small amounts are good to open and expand the mind. As in the case of everything, too much of anything is not good for us.

Now, as for the taste of kale....unless its cooked, it tastes like grass to me! Here where I live we boil it, then top it with tons of lemon and olive oil and eat it with bread, so this drastically changes its constitution and flavour. Plain, raw kale....no way!

Other healthy foods in their raw state...like cucumbers and tomatoes taste great! Some foods that are 'bad' like chocolate taste great, and maybe they do offer some initial benefit by giving us an immediate and fast source of sugars to fuel our muscles and top up our liver with glycogen. Again, too much=bad!

As the ancient greeks say "Panda Metron Ariston" or "Everything in Moderation" - but are we to take that to mean absolutely everything? If so, perhaps we should also eat a bit of paper, some dirt and some plastic. :-D

Anyhow, these are my thoughts to questions I've been thinking about a long time. Carry on everyone :-)

[Cristal Lilly]

Originally Posted by jamesbiz

how and when do you decide if your body is trying to tell you someting?

alright, I read the whole thing. not the link, but this whole topic, and I can see why you're going slightly nuts with having to repeat yourself five times cause people aren't paying attention to what they're reading. that sucks. my sympathies. and yeah there is some hypocrisy here, but there is also you not being calm enough to pick out the individuals that are actually paying attention and trying to help you in a seemingly provocative way.
however, you did not ask for help with this so feel free to ignore the whole first passage. I do actually have some asked for advice too.

now, if I were you, the thought of never eating veggies (even if it's just the real ones) would concern me due to everything you read all around about how you're gonna drop dead in a humiliating awful way from a simultaneous colon cancer and <insert another horrid disease here> if you don't eat your leafy greens.

so. I propose an experiment lasting one month. you eat only the stuff that your body tells you to eat/ tells you is good for you for one month. and then you go to a nutritionist. and have her or him do that complete blood test for you and determine exactly what is going on in that body. I'm talking about that test that determines the levels of all the vitamins and minerals and whatnots. so then you can see, black on white, if your body had a point.

I also suggest, that when results come back, and if you happen to find yourself lacking some nutrient, you research it to see if there's a fruity or some other source of it. maybe you'll just need to buy more exotic fruits and nuts or something, bypass the horrid true veggies that way.

what do you think about that?