Get A Life by Loretta LaRoche

I have to admit that I’m a “tasteaholic”. It’s very difficult for me to decide what I want to order at a restaurant because I want to try everything.

The combinations of flavors available today are astounding and have just compounded my ability for bliss! I thought what I grew up eating was amazing, but the fact that we now have access to a global tastefest makes me insane with joy.

Have you ever wondered why foods taste so different from one another? You have about 10,000 tiny taste buds on your tongue and the roof of your mouth that act like text messages telling your brain what flavors you’re sampling.

Women have more taste buds than men, but insects have the most highly evolved ones. Who would have thought that a bug would be able to enjoy flavors better than I can?

If we’ve been gifted with such an amazing array of taste sensors, why in God’s name do we think it’s a good idea to go on diets that are very restrictive or include only bland ingredients? More importantly, why do we keep eating the same foods over and over, or those that are prepared in the same exact manner?

Sure, steamed chicken is low in calories, but why not just chew on a rubber tire?

I’m sure sautéing vegetables in one of those flavored-spray oils is less fattening, but how good can a food be that comes out of an aerosol can?

Look through your cupboard—does it make you start thinking of the movie Groundhog Day.

Why not start adding new ingredients and new food choices? Go outside the box and start using endive or radicchio instead of lettuce. Throw pistachios, pecans or pignoli nuts into your salad. Try wild rice, couscous, or quinoa into your salad.

I love to crunch! When you have to crunch your food, it takes longer and creates more satiety.

Much of the food we eat today resembles baby formula. It slips down without much work and leaves you wanting more.

My Italian grandmother would never eat bread unless it was hard. She considered the white bread sold in American supermarkets better suited to wound healing.

Introduce variety in all areas of life. It keeps the mind supple and adds excitement and surprise. Life can and should be a wonderful journey filled with abundance.

Make yours a buffet and you’ll never feel bored.

Loretta LaRoche writes the Get A Life Column for the Patriot Ledger.