If you’ve been a reader of mine for some time, you’ve probably noticed that I love to talk about food… and healthy eating in particular. Look, healthy eating does NOT have to be bland and boring. If you know a few preparation tricks, you can actually make exciting and delicious food.

But yes, you do need to start cooking at home. Understandably, here’s where the resistance comes in. But it’s not hard to cook at home. In fact, thinking you have to be an expert cook is what could be keeping you from trying a few easy dishes. As a blind person I show that cooking is so easy you can do it without looking.

==>> Get a delicious easy to make Chicken Ginger Soup recipe.

Many people hold the false belief 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.

Throw away this misconception. I’m against this type of boring menu, and like to give

==>> healthy meal ideas that have a little more appeal.

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. I know I did too. Lots of sugar. Lots of salt. Too many food items coming out of a bag or box like cold cereal, instant breakfast, cookies, ice cream etc..

•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

Why do you think we have such an epidemic of illness and obesity? It’s not just because we are so overly gluttonous. No.

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. And these tastes drive us to eat more and more.

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 havoc 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. One wildly successful strategy for me is to find healthy desserts to replace the commercial junk you get everywhere. One of my favorites is my 52 calorie

==>> fat-burning crave busting brownie.

About 5 years ago, I’d have called you crazy if you said I’d pass up a dessert, (especially when eating out). Preparing healthy desserts like my brownie allows me a guilt-free fiber filled healthy treat that keeps me from wanting any of the commercial sweets I used to think I needed.

Now, I actually PREFER to eat food in their natural state and now I never add sugar or even a healthy sugar substitute to most things like tea or oatmeal. Believe me, if I can do this, I know you can too.

What I did was just slightly reduce the amount of sweetener (let’s say in oatmeal) I added over time, and eventually I got used to using none. I actually started to prefer the natural taste of everything with no sweetener.

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 special healthy desserts like my brownies, or, (another personal favorite) have a small amount of super-dark chocolate instead of regular desserts.

•Avoid eating any and all deep fried foods and processed starch-based side dishes – mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.

I promise that doing just a couple of these simple tips will 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. Like these

==>> 3 Counterfeit foods marketed as healthy that are deceptive.

You can get the lean body you want over time and through proper eating and proper exercise. I want you to look better, feel better, and live a long healthy life. This is what this blog is all about.

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