If the idea of eating fruits and vegetables makes you pull a face because they taste unpleasant to you, you’re not alone - but that aversion could be costing your body some serious health benefits. From essential vitamins and minerals to fibre that supports gut health, plants play a crucial role in overall wellbeing. The good news? Your dislike isn’t set in stone. Taste buds aren’t fixed, and with the right strategies, they can be trained to appreciate foods you once avoided, making healthy eating far more achievable than you might think.
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Dr Karan Rajan, a UK-based surgeon and popular health content creator, is breaking down how you can include more plant-based foods in your diet even if you don’t enjoy their taste - explaining that with the right approach, it’s entirely possible to retrain your taste buds to like them over time. In an Instagram video shared on January 1, the surgeon highlights, “Liking vegetables isn’t a matter of willpower but a cheeky combination of neuroplasticity & microbiome adaptation!”
You can hack your taste buds
According to Dr Rajan, if you don’t like the taste of plants, you can actually hack your tastebuds into liking them. Most people don’t reach their 30 gram daily fibre target due to taste barriers, but the surgeon highlights that the good news is that your taste buds regenerate in less than two weeks, making it possible to retrain them.
He explains, “Your taste buds regenerate every 10 to 14 days. So if you keep exposing them to bitter or fibrous or new flavors, then the new buds grow back less sensitive to bitterness and plant foods and more appreciative of subtle flavours. A 2019 study found that just 2 weeks of eating more fibre-rich vegetables reduced cravings for salty and sweet food and increased enjoyment of vegetables.”
Oral microbiome and flavour
Dr Rajan points out that your oral microbiome also shapes how flavours are perceived. The bacteria in your mouth are shaped by your food habits, and this specialised oral microbiome can subtly alter flavour chemistry - influencing how different foods taste to you over time.
He explains, “The bacteria in your mouth ferment food and create aroma compounds that change how food tastes. If your diet is mostly ultra-processed foods, your oral microbes are specialised in processing sugars and soft textures. If you shift to more fibrous foods, you allow different microbes to flourish, which then means different flavor chemistry and slowly healthier foods literally start tasting better. Your mouth adapts before your gut does.”
The brain takes time to adjust
Dr Rajan highlights that the brain doesn’t immediately warm to new flavours and instead gravitates towards familiarity. It often takes multiple exposures to train your brain to accept - and eventually enjoy - a new food, so disliking something the first time isn’t a final verdict. With repeated tries, your perception of its taste can change and become far more positive over time.
He emphasises, “Studies show that it can take up to 10 exposures before your brain updates its 'This is nice' file. So, if you hated kale or pomegranate the first time, that wasn't a verdict; it was a draft. You don't need to overhaul your diet, just stealth upgrade it. Most people fail because they try to eat like a wellness influencer overnight. Start by blending frozen fruit or vegetables into smoothies or grating carrots or beetroot into sauces. Your taste buds are not broken, they're just untrained.”
How to hack your system?
Dr Rajan explains that foods you may dislike at first can start tasting better with repeated exposure. For instance, bitter-sensitive taste receptors gradually downregulate over time, meaning the more regularly you eat vegetables, the less bitter they tend to taste — making them easier to enjoy with consistency.
There is a gut link too. The surgeon states, “Regularly eating vegetables shifts your gut microbes, which changes how plant compounds are metabolised and that feeds back into cravings and preference.”
He outlines the following four ways you can hack your taste buds into liking vegetables:
- Repeated exposure (10-15 times matters).
- Small portions, often.
- Change the format (roasted, grated, blended, souped).
- Pair with fat or salt initially, then taper.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.