Post Cleanse — Foods that No Longer Taste Good

Yesterday I was wondering if my changed tastes were more mind over matter.  My girlfriend had told me that this would happen after I finished the cleanse, so maybe my brain was kicking in and making it true.  Like a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

Now, though, I think there is definitely some truth to that claim.  In an effort to track my new habits and share honest expectations for anyone else who wants to do this cleanse, I’m going to keep a running list that I’ll continue to update as I find more foods that have changed for me.

So far, I’m pretty pleased with the list below.  Everything there has something either bad for me or artificial.  After eating only fresh ingredients filled with nutrients, it’s not a bad thing that some of the garbage I had been scarfing down is no longer appealing.

Foods That No Longer Taste Good After the Cleanse

1. Artificial Sweetener of any kind — Sweet N’ Low, Equal, Stevia, and Splenda are all off my list now.  There is a distinct chemical taste to them that I can even get through.  I’ve poured perfectly good coffee down the drain multiple times.  When I taste it, it leaves my tongue tingling almost like a burn.  It’s just not worth it to save a few calories.  I am now either drinking my coffee with just milk or with milk and one half of a real sugar packet (and even that tastes sweeter than I’m used to).
2. Bologna — I know, I know.  It’s full of awful stuff, so why did I even eat it?  During my cleanse, I craved it so badly while making my kids’ lunches.  I realized that, in the past, every time I made a sandwich, I’d roll up a piece for myself and munch away.  It was hard to break that natural reflex during the cleanse.  But after the cleanse was over and I made my own bologna & cheese sandwich on whole wheat, it almost made me gag.  I got about a quarter of the way through it before I had to stop.  Again, it had no flavor like I remembered.  It tasted bland and chemically.  My tongue tingled and I even felt a little nauseous.  I went home and crunched on some carrots to get the taste out of my mouth.
3. Cinnamon Raisin Toast — This one surprised me.  I thought that was “real” enough that it would taste great, but it really doesn’t.  I can’t explain it, but it tasted like garlic bread to me.  Salty and garlicky instead of sweet and cinnamon flavors.  Very strange.  It definitely was not a satisfying breakfast treat.
4. Vegetarian Sausage Patties — I honestly tried these just because I wanted to see how they would taste now.  I used to love having these in the morning.  I’ve always preferred protein over carbs for breakfast, so when I found the MorningStar Farms Sausage Patties, I was in love.  They used to taste great.  Lots of flavor, spices, and decent consistency so I didn’t mind that they were “fake” meat.  Now, however, they have lost all appeal.  While not so chemically tasting as bologna, it did leave that same after taste on my tongue.  The most noticeable difference was the lack of flavor.  They’re suddenly very bland, so why bother?
5. Valentine’s Candy — I unwrapped a piece of my kid’s leftover Valentine’s Day treats only to spit it out.  Yuck.  Now, these are not high-quality chocolates, of course, but I used to enjoy the sweet treats no matter what form.  Not anymore.  In an effort to get to the bottom of the issue in the name of research (and also because I’m a chocoholic), I did discover that dark chocolate still tastes wonderful.  My after dinner treat was two dark chocolate Hershey’s Kisses and I can honestly say that I was satisfied with just that.

That’s it so far, but I will definitely continue to update with more as I try more foods.  I fear I may undo any weight loss benefits from the cleanse just because I’m taste-testing so many different things now.  I’m just fascinated by the change.

As much as I couldn’t wait for the cleanse to be over, I now want a cup of warm lemon water every morning, and I love my cottage cheese with berries as my favorite breakfast.  I’ll keep you posted as I try new lunch and dinner options.  Happy Eating!!

UPDATED TO ADD…

6.  Oreo Cookies — Okay, so I’m bummed by this one.  I used to love Oreos.  The first one tasted alright.  Not quite as delicious as I remembered and anticipated, but still pretty yummy.  So I ate two more.  Then spent the next half hour in the bathroom and the rest of the afternoon with a churning stomach.  Not worth it.

7.  Frozen Waffles — Attempted to finish my daughter’s half-eaten breakfast as I ran out the door, and actually had to spit this one out, it tasted so bad.  Felt like I was eating cardboard coated with spray paint.  Seriously, I used eat this stuff?

8.  Soda — Not a big shock on this one, but I had to try.  Diet soda (which I always used to drink) tastes like a science experiment.  Regular soda is so sweet I might as well be drinking maple syrup.  Selzter with juice is now my carbonated beverage of choice.