Something strange is happening to my taste buds. We have certain food traditions here, not the healthy kind Pollan talks about (sharing meals leisurely with friends) but the more unhealthy kind (something salty with TV at night, soda on errand running days, etc.)

But the more I enjoy the traditional, nourishing foods I’m eating lately, the more spoiled I become. I used to have a soda from the checkstand cooler when I did the grocery shopping. It was kind of my “payment” for a job well done or, at least, well…done. Last week, I bought it, cracked it open in my car for that first big swig and…ew. It was sickeningly sweet, one-dimensional and stung my tongue. I capped it and gave it to hubby when I got home. I think I’ve licked that bad habit.

Same thing at the movie the other night. I used to get the biggest, refillable soda. It was a monstrous 44 ounces. I’d fill it up prior to the movie and again in mid-movie. (Have I mentioned I like to drink a lot?) Last week, we took the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens. I got a smaller one, I think 30-odd ounces. I took about three sips during the course of the movie and kicked myself for not bringing coconut kefir instead. Hubby drank about half of the cup and we tossed what was left. I’ve lost my taste for it. I actually don’t enjoy it anymore, which is very surprising. The sweet, the bubbles, what’s not to like? Turns out I was probably more addicted than I’d like to admit, because the flavor just doesn’t do it for me.

We had our first 80° day, the day before yesterday. It was hot and muggy and the kids begged me to pick up some ice cream for dessert. I found some Alden’s ice cream that had mostly natural ingredients. I remember Alden’s very fondly from my time in Oregon. I grabbed it up quite excitedly. What a great finale it would make to a salad dinner.

But again, the sweetness overwhelmed me. One spoonful and I scooped what was left of my serving back into the tub. Later that night when the TV munchies struck, I had some whole milk yogurt with fermented berry sauce (from the NT cookbook) and it was just right. Not too sweet, lots of flavor and smoothness, cool and refreshing. Just what I was looking for in the ice cream and couldn’t find.

It’s not just sweet that’s different for me. Remember that beet kvass recipe I concocted to tone down the beet flavor? I like the beet flavor now! It’s sweet, but not flatly sweet. It has layers of sweet, salty, bitter, tart, and is just good! I’m thinking that my constant diet of cooked refined sugar with a nice refined sugar sauce on top might have dulled my sense of taste to the point that I couldn’t taste layers of flavor. It is really exciting to really taste food again.

And disgusting. I had no idea the coffee I was drinking was so icky. This will be an easy one to quit. Blech.

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