What was recommended last week on the Dr. Oz Show to make vegetables taste better and help increase veggie intake?
A. Cheese sauce
B. Sugar
C. Sauteed
D. Cook in coconut oil
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The Answer:
B. Sugar!
Your Answers:
A. Cheese sauce - 2%
B. Sugar - 23%
C. Sauteed - 21%
D. Cook in coconut oil - 52%
A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Veggies Go Down...
If you haven't been a fan of veggies for most your life and you know they are oh so good for you, how do you get your taste buds and brain to come together and enjoy veggies? Some may say just jump right in. Others may say keep trying different veggies until you figure out which ones you like.
Both are great suggestions but, A.J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy and several other fascinating journey's he's taken in the quest for knowledge [and editor-at-large for Esquire Magazine], has another suggestion that might appeal more to those stubborn taste buds. Just add sugar!
That's right, Mr. Jacobs recommended adding sugar to veggies, on the 4/10/12 episode of The Dr. Oz Show, to bring up the appeal volume and train both the brain and tastes buds to like them. It's sneaky but, studies show if you have veggies with a small amount of sugar your attitude about veggies will change and you'll end up eating more veggies and eventually eat them without sugar, says Mr. Jacobs.
Sprinkle a little brown sugar onto Brussels sprouts or dip cauliflower into sugar water to dramatically change the way veggies taste. Overtime, you'll eat more veggies and support health – even with the little bit of sugar.
Perhaps the idea is to start getting into the healthy habit of eating more veggies and then taper back the sugar in favor of more veggies. I like the rational that it's just a temporary enticement.
In that same 4/10/12 episode, Mr. Jacobs shared three other ways to make veggies taste more appealing as you retrain the taste buds.
- The Cheeto Cheat: smash up a handful of Cheeto's and sprinkle on your broccoli to enhance flavor and provide the all important crunch factor.
- Puree veggies, like cauliflower or zucchini or sweet potatoes, and add to macaroni and cheese. You'll eat more veggies without even knowing it.
- Eat your veggies in silence to improve the taste. Studies show that more noises causes food to taste bad.
Another “cheat” I would add that many moms know is to add veggies to spaghetti sauce, lasagna, and fruit smoothies. The other strong flavors in these foods will mask the veggies so you won't even have to taste them.
Cheese Sauce
Cheese sauce can make most veggies taste better as well as pastas and some proteins too.
Click here for a recipe from SeriousEats.com cheese sauce. This recipe recommends using the sauce with fries, great idea, but, it looks great for veggies too.
Sauteed
Steamed may be the preferred way to cook veggies but sauteed may provide a little variety in flavor. Sure you can get a wok and make a stir-fry or use a standard pan toss in a little oil, a little garlic, and a whole lot of veggies and you've got a nutritious meal.
Cook in Coconut Oil
Dr. Oz mentioned using coconut oil on chicken on a recent show to change up the flavor of a commonly used protein. The same idea would work for veggies. Cooking with coconut oil imparts a subtle flavor to the foods and gives another option for cooking and enjoying veggies.
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Each week a new quiz is posted on Watching Dr Oz to test your knowledge of the information shared
on The Dr. Oz Show the previous week. Answers are provided each Saturday. Cast your vote every week and check back every Saturday to see how you did!
Photo credit: kratuanoiy
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