Part 1 – Why the sweet flavour is actually important for your health
Food and diet trends aside, the human palate, and the human body, require five flavours for balanced digestion, enjoyment and health – the same five they always have. Experiencing all the flavours is important in achieving a sustainable, healthy eating practice – and enjoying it.
In this week’s blog, our Toronto naturopaths share their take on the ever controversial sweet flavour.
The sweet flavour has got a bad rap in recent years, since the perils of our over-sugared food industry horrible effects on health have become known. Carbohydrates are also something many people spend periods of time avoiding all together for the sake of weight loss. However, the sweet flavour is separate from carbs and it’s separate from sugar too!
Sweetness comes with important benefits as it stimulates good digestion. Traditional Chinese Medicine has long recommended foods with the sweet flavour such as root vegetables, nuts and seeds, and some grains and fruits for their digestion-enhancing effects. It may support a balanced mood in some people as well.
If eating low-carb is important for you right now or for a period of time, the sweet flavour remains important and will reduce your cravings. You can add cinnamon and real vanilla extract to foods to provide the sweet taste. It’s surprising, when you don’t numb your taste buds with the overpowering sweetness of refined or processed sugar or other added sweeteners, just how much sweet flavour is contained in foods such as nuts and seeds, root veggies, fruits, and even vegetables like fennel. Avoiding the foods that taste sweet all together for a “diet” is a guaranteed way to cause yourself to rebound back into eating unhealthy sweets at some point. Keep sweetness in your life for best results – no matter the level of carbs that is right for you!
Stay tuned for next week’s blog on the other four basic flavours!