Learning to Unlike Sugar

By Cindy Williams, RN

Director, Health Ministries

Did you know that our likes and dislikes for food are largely learned? We eat what we like and like what we eat. Put another way – our taste buds adapt to what we give them. A friend of mine once told me that he moved to the Philippines and could hardly get mangoes down. That was a problem because people served mangoes to him all the time. He needed to eat them out of gratitude for their hospitality. Several years later he realized that he had grown to like them. It had taken time, but it happened.

People who are accustomed to eating food prepared from scratch at home with little or no salt will often be unable to eat a meal served with even ordinary amounts of salt. Those who frequently eat chips, pretzels, and other salty snacks will feel that food tastes bland without salt. The same applies to sugar. We can adapt to enjoying things that are less sweet. 

Here are some tips to help you plan to serve healthier desserts:

• Enjoy God’s quick and easy desserts. Fresh strawberries in the spring, melons during the summer, and pears and apples in the fall can be eaten without guilt, taste wonderful, and are easy to prepare. One or two dates with a smidge of peanut or almond butter is a satisfying end to a weekday meal.
• Many recipes can have the amount of sugar reduced by one-fourth without even noticing the change. Even a small reduction will help your body. Sugar plays a role in baking that is beyond just sweetening so you will need to experiment if you want to reduce the sugar more than that. Reducing sugar can change the texture, shelf life, browning, amount of rising, and the moisture of baked goods. Visit https://food52.com/blog/15911-what-experts-know-about-reducing-sugar-in-baking-recipes for detailed information on this. I have found that I would rather not make some recipes because I don’t like how they turn out after modifying the recipe.
• Fruit-based desserts can be modified in a different way. Try starting out with no sugar and add just enough to enhance the fruit flavor without overpowering it. You will find that you can use much less than most recipes call for.
• Find new recipes that already are healthier but still satisfy your sweet tooth. Websites that I use include Amy’s Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/category/delicious-desserts/, Forks Over Knives at https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-desserts/, Oh She Glows at https://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/dessert-2/ , and Minimalist Baker at https://minimalistbaker.com/recipe-index/?fwp_special-diet=vegan&fwp_recipe-type=sweet-things.

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash.