Can you remember your mom telling you to eat your Brussels sprouts when you were a kid? I sure can! And let me tell you, I did NOT like them! As soon as I was old enough to realize that my mom couldn't make me eat something I didn't want to eat, I put a stop to my Brussels sprout consumption! It wasn't until many years later, when I was in my 30's, that I gave those little miniature cabbage looking things another shot! And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised!
Studies have shown that as you age, your taste buds grow and mature with you. Foods you may not have liked as a child can taste yummy to your taste buds as you get older. Of course, the opposite is true as well-foods you liked as a child may taste yucky to you now! Personally, celery is the perfect example for me. I used to eat celery sticks with peanut butter all the time when I was younger. Now, even just the smell of celery makes me sick. Weird, huh?
But this just goes to show that it's worth giving foods you didn't like as a child a second shot as an adult. I was at a friend's house having dinner when the dish of steamed Brussels sprouts was passed to me. Not wanting to be rude, I put two on my plate and told myself I would make myself eat at least one of them. My first bite was enjoyable, so I took another, and then another, and before knew it, I was scooping a few more onto my plate!
It wasn't until years later that I started learning about the health benefits to eating sprouts. Brussels sprouts in particular are very high in sulforaphane, which is a chemical shown to have some serious antioxidant/cancer-fighting abilities to it. Unbeknownst to me, by eating Brussels sprouts, I was helping to fight cancer-causing agents from accumulating in my body! Bonus!
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