Making Simple Food Taste Great

I've been learning that in order for simple, whole foods to taste good in their natural state, two things must happen.

1.  The addiction to foods in the Standard American Diet has to be overcome and the body rid of the toxins from those foods.

2.  Experiencing true hunger prior to eating makes the entire experience more enjoyable.

In Eat for Health and Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, the key to taste is to rid yourself of the toxins that make you addicted to certain foods.  Interestingly, humans as well as other primates are attracted to brightly colored foods, and we have a natural tendency to enjoy sweets (read this article in the Oxford Journal for more detailed information on fruit and primates).  Smart marketers cater their processed food to the public by making it pleasing to the eye and irresistible to the taste buds.
Too much salt can deaden our taste buds and we must add more and more to get the same pleasure from the food.  Here is an excerpt from the Doctor's Medical Library:
"Learn to enjoy the natural flavors of food. Your taste buds have been overstimulated for years with salt, among other items, to the extent that they cannot detect and enjoy subtle tastes. You may use spices in making the transition to the enjoyment of natural flavors. I suggest thyme, tarragon, paprika, sage, basil, dill and oregano. After the transition, you will discover that spices are unnecessary in most cases and the natural food tastes irreplaceable."
If we can curb our desire for additives to our food, we can allow our bodies to recover the ability to really taste our food.  This requires discipline and the willingness to go through withdrawal symptoms as our bodies begin to rid themselves of the toxins we ingest.

After the body goes through its detoxification stage, it's ready to learn what natural, simple food really tastes like.  Have you ever worked out and not been able to eat for awhile?  When you finally ate food, did the flavors seem to burst in your mouth?  When we eat when hungry, food becomes much more satisfying.  Dr. Fuhrman says that there is a difference between true hunger and what we feel when our body is in the detox state.  Read this link for more information on true hunger.

I've been in the process of avoiding salt and refined sugars.  Over time, I have noticed a difference in the way foods taste.  Now, I feel like I can appreciate each food's unique flavor(s).  It is a wonderful experience.  I still love to experiment with a variety of spices and mixing and matching the flavors of whole foods.  I just don't need the added sugar and salt (and who knows what else that I was ingesting from all that processed junk)!