Stop Saying Yuck!!!

We all have food we cant stomach. Here are some sure fire tips for a one-way ticket out of Gagsville.

Reason: About one in four people actually tastes vegetable like brussel sprouts and broccoli as extremely bitter ( its a survival instinct to protect you from eating poisonous plants).

Solution: Taste buds detect sweet, salty, bitter and savory. Try to mask bitterness by playing up some of the other tastes. Don't over cook veggies- that enhances their sharpness. And instead of steaming or boiling try lightly sauteing them or grilling and always use a variety of seasoning.

Reason: Childhood associations influenced you. Maybe your parents disliked the food, or you had a bad experience ( you ate corn on the cob with a loose tooth and it hurt).

Solution: Wait until you're really hungry before trying food after a long hiatus. When you re that famished, your body will start to associate those flavors with a positive benefit: relieving your hunger. Smells change as we age too so maybe the food you've always hated won't seem as offensive as it did when you were a kid. Try to ease into it by plugging your nose for the first few bites.

Reason: Its a texture thing. There's nothing scientific that says why, but something about a slice of tomato or cooked cabbage makes you shiver.

Solution: Play with your food. If the texture is your biggest problem, try cooking the food to change its consistency. You may hate woody mushrooms or fleshy tomatoes, but spicy tomato salsa or mushrooms mixed in stir fry might appeal to you. When food aren't a surprise (like finding a chunk of unexpected tomato in your salad) You might not react as strongly as you might think.

No matter the reason... This trick works: Try the same food 8-10 times. incorporate it into several dishes throughout the week, in as many forms as possible- blended into soup, chopped in a salad or just with a clean homemade dressing.