Create A Meal to Satisfy Your 5 Tastes
Did you know that by including all the 5 tastes in your meal you are less likely to overeat? The 5 tastes being sweet, sour, salty, butter and umami work together to satisfy your tastebuds. Each of these tastes are recognised by different parts of your tongue and it seems the more of your taste buds which are stimulated the more satisfied you are after a meal.
If the term umami is a foreign term it is a Japanese word which means savory or meaty taste. Foods which consist of high amounts of an amino acid or a building block of protein called glutamate like mushrooms and tomatoes create this taste. If you cook them by sauteing or roasting this will further increase the umami taste.
Each of these tastes can be found in different whole foods, some examples are:
Sweet:
- Sweet potato
- Cooked carrots
- Blueberries
- Corn
- Peas
- Cooked onion
- Parnsips
- Yams
- Corn Thins and Rice Thins slices
Sour:
- Lemon
- Limes
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
- Pomelo
- Tart cherries
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
Bitter:
- Cruciferous vegetables e.g. kale, brussels sprouts and cabbage.
- Cranberries
- Cocoa
- Coffee and green tea
- Parsley
- Celery
Salty:
- Miso
- Brine pickles
- Sea vegetables
- Umeboshi plum
Umami:
- Corn Thins Tasty Cheese Flavour
- Tomatoes
- Mushroom
- Asparagus
- Tree nuts
- Black garlic
- Lean meat
- Seafood e.g. tuna, oysters and mussels
- Cheese
- Legumes
- Miso
An example of a recipe which ticks all the taste boxes from the many recipes available on the Corn Thins website at https://www.cornthins.com/ is Sausage, Avo, Chili Pickle, Baby Spinach, Feta & Lime Salad.
INGREDIENTS
12 CORN THINS slices (broken up) - sweet
200g chicken sausage (cooked & in 2cm balls, or pieces) -umami
1 large avocado -sweet
Juice from 1 Lime -sour
Pickled chili (as much as is desired)
50 - 100g feta (crumbled) -salty and umami
4 cups of baby spinach -bitter
Take home message: Taste is a driving factor for selection of a food as well as satisfaction from a meal. Aim to include the 5 tastes in your meals to help find satisfaction and promote a healthy weight. By including the 5 tastes you are less likely to have the munchies 5 minutes after finishing your meal as your taste buds have been satisfied.