Resetting Your Palate: Why Hyper-Processed Foods Are Sabotaging Your Goals

Think back to your childhood and imagine the things you craved or devoured. Remember the hyper-palatable foods that dominate in the good ol' USA: Cheez-Its, Doritos, Oreos, Starburst, Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips, and, of course, powdered iced tea. Now, over the past decade, I’ve learned one crucial thing about keeping these kinds of foods at home or shopping while hungry—if you're new to this journey or still building your habits, you're likely to give in to the temptation.

Food tech is no joke. Technological advancements haven’t skipped over what we eat. In fact, food scientists—some who once worked for cigarette companies—are specifically hired to make food as irresistibly tasty as possible, designed to trigger a response from you. Our brains are wired to seek out fatty (hyper-caloric), salty (electrolytes and hyper-palatability), and sweet (carb-heavy) flavors. In the wild, those signals meant solid energy sources. But today, hyper-processed snacks hijack those instincts, making it almost impossible to stick to a single serving.

Let’s be real: you’re up against modern science when you’re trying to resist that family-size bag of Doritos sitting in your pantry. Sure, over time, you can build up the willpower to resist. But in the beginning, surrounding yourself with these trigger foods sets you up for failure. There are plenty of different perspectives on this, but if a certain food constantly causes you to overeat, and it’s highly processed, it’s probably time to give it a break.

When you’re starting a fat loss phase or making a shift toward better health, one of the best things you can do is take a break from hyper-processed foods. Doing so will help re-sensitize your palate to real, nourishing foods like well-cooked meat, ripe fruit (in moderation as a carb source), and healthy fats like avocados. Keep indulging in ice cream bars, Oreos, or chips, and you’ll find that your appreciation for real, whole foods fades away.

The key is to reset your palate. Recognize that it’s a form of self-sabotage to try and force things like margaritas or Oreos into your diet when they’re not aligned with your goals. Certain foods just don’t fit with the focus and changes you’re trying to make. This process takes time, so don’t overwhelm yourself. Understand that old habits die hard, and making things easy and enjoyable is the key to long-term success.