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Have you ever noticed things that used to taste sweet like strawberries or apples don’t light up your tastebuds like they used to?
It’s not the food’s fault, in fact, modern fruits and veggies are bred to be hundreds of times more sweet than their ancestors. (Just take a look at all the new apple varieties.)
So, what’s going on?
Well, if you’re like most average Americans, you get 17 teaspoons of added sugar from your food each day.
That’s ADDED sugar.
That's from obvious stuff like the Starbucks caramel macchiato and snacks like cookies or pastries. But it’s also from less obvious sources, like salad dressings, sauces, breads, cereal, oatmeal, etc.
Here’s some foods to watch out for:
🚫Sugary Drinks: Sodas, energy drinks, and sweetened teas.
🚫Processed Snacks & Baked Goods: Cookies, cakes, pastries, and similar treats.
🚫Sugary Cereals & Flavored Dairy: Many cereals and flavored yogurts are loaded with added sugars.
🚫Condiments & Sauces: Items like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and certain salad dressings often hide added sugars.
Just about anything processed has some amount of added sugar (and we’re not counting total carbs here).
Our taste buds have gotten used to food being super sweet!
So it should be no wonder that regular, whole foods like peppers and carrots and strawberries don’t measure up to our sweetened, processed foods.
What counts as added sugar:
✅Sugars and syrups that get added during processing or cooking.
✅Ingredients like white sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and even natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup when they’re added separately.
✅Basically, it’s any sugar that isn’t naturally part of whole foods like fruits and veggies.
And guess what? We are wired to seek out sweet foods. Sweet signals sugar, and energy and calories to store for a lean winter.
Ancestrally, sweet things would only be around for one, maybe two seasons. We would fatten up on fruits as much as we could when they were available.
Now of course we have artificially sweet things available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Maybe that has something to do with our epidemic of obesity and chronic disease?
Is “desensitized” taste buds a sign of insulin resistance or blood sugar imbalance?
Not directly, but it probably does mean you are eating too much sugar if you need sweeter and sweeter foods to enjoy a treat.
With that in mind, it’s probably safe to assume that your blood sugar is out of whack and you may be creeping toward insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.
Here’s the great news:
You can “reset” your tastebuds!
By eliminating or greatly reducing the amount of added sugar in your diet, your taste buds will become more sensitive. It really only takes about 10 days to 2 weeks to reset your taste buds and start tasting the sweetness of real food.
That means bell peppers and strawberries and carrots and even things like onions will start to taste sweeter, like they are meant to be.
I’ve experienced this myself, and wow, now fruits and veggies are so sweet. And confections like cake or pie are almost too sweet to eat.
Quick tips to start resetting your taste buds:
✅ Swap out sugary drinks for water or unsweetened herbal tea.
✅ Read labels—watch out for sneaky sugars in “healthy” foods like yogurt, granola, and sauces.
✅ Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods with healthy fats and protein to curb sugar cravings.
✅ Give it time! Your taste buds adapt quickly—you’ll be amazed at how sweet real food starts to taste in just a couple of weeks.
Added bonus, when you “reset” your taste buds, you’re also reducing insulin resistance and lowering your risk for Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease.
Cutting back on sugar isn’t about deprivation—it’s about retraining your body to enjoy real, nourishing foods again. And when you do, everything gets easier—your cravings drop, your blood sugar stabilizes, and your energy comes back.
Do you struggle with sugar cravings daily? Do you wish you had more control? Do you want to love eating food again?
We tune your personalized 1-on-1 coaching program to meet your goals and give you the support and accountability you need to make lasting changes.
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