Love Vegetables More

Research suggests there may be a way to train your tongue to love the good-for-you foods you're not so fond of. It works on kids. Could it work for you?
It's all about repeat exposure. In a study of elementary school students, the more the children were exposed to the taste of vegetables they disliked, the more their mouths learned to enjoy them.

Repetition Equals Great Taste
In the student study, it took just a couple of months of weekly sampling (and encouragement from teachers) to produce a change of heart about the vegetables. True, it's a study in kids. But other research has suggested the approach may work in adults, too, because -- just like kids do -- adults tend to experience food neophobia -- a dislike for the taste of foods that are new. Once those new foods become familiar through repeated exposure, they often start tasting good instead of bad. 




Did you know? The average tongue has about 10,000 taste buds. 

A Nudge in the Right Direction
Ready to learn to love those healthy fruits and vegetables you just never developed a craving for? You could retrain your taste buds in as little as 2 weeks of healthy eating, according to RealAge experts and YOU: On a Diet authors Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD. It's a small commitment to make in exchange for a diet full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you actually enjoy eating. If you need more motivation, here are some good reasons to eat your vegetables today:

• To protect yourself from skin cancer:
• To keep your blood sugar steady:
• To control your appetite:

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?!

Asian Halibut & Brown Rice Packets

 

 Prep Time:

0 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 cups instant brown rice
• 4 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 pound halibut fillet, skin removed, cut into 4 portions
• 1 large ripe plum, cut into 12 wedges

 

Directions

1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

2. Heat 3/4 cup water, 1 cup orange juice and soy sauce in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour into a medium bowl; stir in rice and scallion whites and set aside, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, sesame oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons each of water and orange juice in a small bowl.

3. Stack two 20-inch sheets of foil (the double layers will help protect the ingredients on the bottom from burning). Coat the center of the top layer with cooking spray. Place one-fourth of the rice mixture in the center. Set a piece of fish on the rice. Arrange 3 wedges of plum on the fish. Top with one-fourth of the hoisin mixture and sprinkle with one-fourth of the scallion greens. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Make 3 more packets with the remaining ingredients.

4. Place the packets on a gas grill over medium heat or on a charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is opaque in the center, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness. (When opening a packet to check for doneness, be careful of steam.) Use a spatula to slide the contents of the packet onto a plate.
Technique: 

Packet Steps

Step 1. Stack two 20-inch sheets of foil (the double layers will help protect the ingredients on the bottom from burning). Coat the center of the top layer with cooking spray.

Step 2. Layer your ingredients on the foil. Center everything: it's easier to wrap the food and Makes the packet look neat.

Step 3. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping.

Step 4. Place the packets on a gas grill over medium heat or on a charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals. Cover the grill and cook just until the packet contents are done. Handle the hot packets with a large spatula or oven mitts. Carefully open both ends of the packet and allow the hot steam to escape.

about this recipe

Rice on the grill? Absolutely, and by the time it's cooked it's scented with the exotic flavors of plums and Asian sauce. If halibut isn't available, striped bass, sole or even thick cod fillets will work just fine.