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TEACH YOUR TASTEBUDS WORDS BY JANE BLACK
Tapping into the memories of eating could provide the key to healthy living and start a revolution at meal times.

In the mid-'80s, enterprising businessmen apparently began offering an unusual service to high-placed American executives traveling to Tokyo. In just two weeks, they claimed, they could teach them to eat sushi, sea urchin"?whatever was necessary-in order to conduct business in Japan without insulting their hosts. The cost: $10,000.

Pretty pricey when you find out the trick is this: to learn to like something, simply eat it every day for two weeks then give yourself a reward like a quick sunshine break. Within two weeks you'll have formed positive associations with that food. It's only a matter of time before you start to crave it.

The story of the sushi crash course may be no more than urban legend, but it's certainly keeping researchers busy. Scientists studying obesity hope to teach overweight people to like healthier, lower-fat foods. Social anthropologists are examining how deeply ingrained food associations keep culture and tradition alive.

Here's what we know so far: What we like to eat is a balance of nature and nurture. Genetically, we are programmed to prefer sweet flavors over bitter ones, which often, but not always, signal something dangerous. If you give a newborn a little sugar syrup, the baby will smile. Feed the child mashed broccoli, however, and the baby will grimace.

Genetic predispositions matter less than individual experience, researchers say. Mere exposure to a flavor or texture has a huge impact on whether we like it. A child who grows up eating liver once a week will appreciate it as an adult, but someone who has never eaten it likely will be disgusted, not only by the sharp flavor and slimy texture, but the very concept of eating organ meat.

Even more important than having tasted something is whether you enjoyed eating it, as proved by a 2004 study on food cravings. Dr. Marcia Pelchat, a sensory psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, asked 10 patients not to eat anything but a nutritional supplement for 36 hours. The subjects were then instructed to think about foods they love. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Pelchat noted that cravings activated the hippocampus, insula and caudate-brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward, not taste and flavor. "During a craving we have a sensory memory or template for the food," says Pelchat. "The food we eat has to match that template of the craving to be satisfied."

More research is needed but Pelchat believes understanding how desire and memory affect our likes and dislikes could help us lead healthier lives.

EAT YOUR BROCCOLI
Genetically, we're programmed to love sweet, caloric foods like chocolate over bitter, nutritious ones like broccoli. Yet hope is not dead. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia say you can learn to love good-for-you vegetables by following a few simple rules:

Get saucy: Many of the bitter compounds in green vegetables are lipophilic, meaning they readily dissolve in fat, says Paul Breslin, an associate member at Monell. Sprinkle a little grated cheese on cooked vegetables or dunk raw ones in a creamy dip or low-fat salad dressing.

Salt rules: Salt blocks bitter flavors and acts as a filter that lets more pleasant flavors shine. Breslin suggests dusting vegetables lightly with salt or a low-sodium seasoning.

Meat and two veg: Free amino acids, such as glutamate, help tame bitterness in certain vegetables. Glutamate is found naturally in meat, especially aged meat like a good steak or charcuterie. Serve spinach or broccoli with lean sirloin or wrap asparagus in a slice of prosciutto to contrast the vegetables' bite.

Create positive memories: If your main memory of brussel sprouts is being forced to finish them or go without dessert, you'll never learn to appreciate them. Try shredding and cooking them in a little butter and maple syrup -the sweetness will cut the bitter flavor. Then serve the dish as part of a special evening.

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