It's Okay to Hate Healthy Foods -- Really!

Ever feel like you'll never learn to like some of the foods you're "supposed" to eat? It seems like a new "superfood" appears on the scene every other week, so you go and grab some at the store only to find you really, really hate it. No matter what you do, you just can't warm up to it, and you're left feeling guilty for despising the amazing healthy food everyone else is raving about.

I'll tell you a secret -- and this is going to sound nuts coming from someone who's been eating plant-based for over a decade: It's okay if you hate healthy foods. Really, it is. There's no dietary law stating you must enjoy every health-promoting food in existence. While I tend to encourage clients to try preparing new foods in more than one way before deciding they're not fans, it's silly to try and force yourself to eat something you truly can't stand.

Of course, I'm not giving everyone carte blanche to toss the kale in the trash and stockpile dairy-free Ben & Jerry's and Oreos. What I want to do is put healthy eating in perspective, because sometimes it seems as though people think of it as all-or-nothing. How often do we hear -- or say -- "I was good today!" when meal choices include a lot of whole, fresh foods? Or the opposite: "I was bad" or "I blew it" when a processed treat was on the menu?

This kind of mindset is what's behind the idea that we need to somehow pile on the healthiest foods possible to give our diets superpowers, when the truth is much simpler and involves absolutely no food-related guilt trips. So let's take a look at why it's not going to kill you to leave the goji berries for someone else and why you're not a horrible person if quinoa isn't your favorite thing ever.

Personal Tastes (and Restrictions) Guide Choices

The foods you ate growing up did a lot to shape the tastes you have now. This includes ethnic flavors, favorite dishes your parents made on special holidays and any influence the food industry had on your family's meals. The latter is where most people get into trouble when it comes to food choices and where the majority of "food guilt" comes from. These tastes -- the deeply ingrained preference for sugar, salt and fat -- are the ones worth changing, and they can be overcome by shifting dietary choices toward whole plant foods.

Intolerances, allergies and diseases also need to be considered when choosing which foods to eat. According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), over 170 foods are known to cause allergic reactions, and as many as 33 million people in the U.S. have at least one food allergy. Reactions range from mild, such as an itchy tongue or a skin rash, to severe, including fatal anaphylaxis.

I'm often upset when I hear a doctors are advising patients to take Lactaid pills and continue consuming dairy when suffering from lactose intolerance or when I hear stories of people struggling with non-celiac gluten intolerance for years because the medical establishment isn't convinced of its existence. If you eat a food and get sick every time, you don't have to eat it. No matter what nutrients it contains, no matter what anyone tries to tell you, the best thing to do is give it up.

Superfoods Aren't Always So Super

The term "superfood" has become an almost magical word most often used to describe exotic, expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. Trying to track down acai berries and spirulina when you don't have a specialty store or food co-op nearby can be a challenge, and hitting the internet to order some can leave your credit card smoking.

You don't have to spend a fortune to get the nutrients found in some of the most hyped superfoods. Common foods like blueberries, bell peppers, broccoli and lentils pack just as much of a punch at a fraction of the price. Yes, some nutrients may be more concentrated in foods touted as super, but if you're already eating a plant-based diet, you're getting an abundance of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients every time you enjoy a meal. All whole plant foods have beneficial nutrients, and balancing your food intake between whole grains, beans and legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their unprocessed forms is one of the best ways to take care of your body.

It's All About Diversity

With that said, you don't have to eat every plant food to enjoy superior nutrition; you just have to mix things up during the day. That's one of the hidden perks of realizing you don't like some healthy foods: There are so many others waiting to be discovered and a multitude of delicious combinations to experiment with. Mainstream food and nutrition news tends to only highlight the latest fads, loudly proclaiming the benefits of whatever the most recent study has found to be "good" for you. The next day, there's either a new superfood celebrity or the darling of the previous day is being denounced as not so good after all.

Don't let it all confuse you. Thanks to creative plant-based doctors, there are a couple of easy ways to envision a healthy, diverse diet. Dr. Greger has his Daily Dozen, and Dr. Fuhrman champions G-BOMBS. Both provide firm foundations on which to base your meals so that you get the best bang for your buck with every dish -- no superfoods required.

Try an Alternative

Although it might feel like you're missing out if the trendy superfoods -- or even some plant-based staples -- don't excite your taste buds, an abundance of alternative choices makes it possible to thrive. Give these choices a go the next time you're looking to pack super nutrition into a tasty meal.

‍Don't like kale? Try...

• Rainbow chard
• Mustard greens
• Dandelion greens
• Broccoli raab
• Beet greens
• Turnip greens

Don't like quinoa? Substitute...

• Barley
• Bulgur
• Spelt berries
• Millet
• Brown, red or black rice

Not a chickpea fan? Say hello to these legumes...

• Red, brown or black lentils
• Black-eyed peas
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• White beans
• Pinto beans
• Edamame
• Adzuki beans

However, as I mentioned at the start of this post, try some new ways of preparing a food before you write it off completely. When people tell me they "hate" a food, I almost inevitably find out it was either cooked to death or not used in a way that brought out its best flavor. If you try something a few times and still can't get past the taste or texture, don't feel guilty removing it from your menu.

‍What's the takeaway here? All diets, even healthy diets, are influenced by individuality, culture, experience and tastes. Even though tastes do change over time, there will always be some foods you don't like. Building your daily meals around the variety of choices you enjoy and trying new foods to add even more diversity will create a menu you can feel good about.

And those popular "superfoods?" Most of the time, they're not bad. There's nothing wrong with splurging on some hemp seeds or throwing a bit of maca in your smoothie, if that's your thing, but none of them have to be staples of your diet for you to eat well and feel great. So the next time the mainstream media tries to send you on a guilt trip because you're not mainlining coconut water and green smoothies, remember how much your tastes have changed so far, think about all the great food you are eating and happily ignore the hype.