Taste Bud Trippin'

Taste Bud Trippin': SELF.com

Last week, Merritt and I shared quite the interesting culinary experience. I'm talking a real psychedelic taste bud trip, starting with a little pink pill and ending with the transformation of an ordinary sour lemon into a deliciously sweet indulgence...

This mysterious taste-transforming tablet is the mberry, a dissolvable pill made from the miracle berry. After the mberry melts on your tongue, anything sour, spicy or tart will supposedly taste dangerously sweet. Unbelievable, right? Our sentiments exactly. Which is why after sitting through 2 minutes of the mberry's odd wood/berry-ish taste (a strange description, I know; you'd have to experience it to know what I mean), we were pretty hesitant to bite into the king of all that is sour...

But instead of a baby-meets-lemon face-twisting reaction, we looked up at each other eyes wide in amazement. Now, we are in no way suggesting chowing down on these acidic yellow fruits (they can erode your tooth enamel and flare up heart burn. Ouch!), but post-mberry, these lemons tasted AMAZING! Like they had been doused in sugar; a tequila shot sans tequila. Which got me thinking: Imagine the street-cred-building possibilities that could come with these little berry pills..."$200 to chug that tabasco? No problem" or "No thanks, no chaser for me."

--Kaitie Ames

The Caveman Diet

The Caveman Diet: SELF.com

There's a new fad diet out there, and it isn't low-cal, vegan or pre-packaged. This fad diet is much older than any of those out there--it's prehistoric, literally. And it may be the craziest diet I've ever heard of...

It's the Paleo Diet, more commonly known as the Caveman Diet, and when I came across the New York Times article "The New Age Caveman and the City" yesterday, I was amazed at what I read.

The writer interviews John Durant, a self-proclaimed modern-day caveman, and the article opens with the following dilemma:

"Like many New York bachelors, John Durant tries to keep his apartment presentable - just in case he should ever bring home a future Mrs. Durant.... The one thing that Mr. Durant worries might spook a female guest is his most recent purchase: a three-foot-tall refrigerated meat locker that sits in a corner of his living room."

Um, ew. Cannibal much? It would most definitely weird me out to find a meat locker in my date's living room. But to each his own.

The idea behind the Paleo Diet is to revert back to the caveman's arguably healthier physical state of being. The diet consists solely of foods that would have been around back then (think red meat, fish and berries); no bread or anything processed. Doesn't sound too bizarre. But here comes the catch...

In addition to eating the diet of a caveman, you're supposed to eat on the caveman's schedule. Cavemen were hunters and gatherers, sometimes going for days without eating, so the Paleo Diet follower will eat a large meal, and then fast to "to approximate the lean times that his distant ancestors faced between hunt." Some super-hardcore followers will fast for up to 24 hours and then hit the gym for an intense workout to reap the physical benefits of hunting.

Hey, cavemen may have been stronger and healthier, but they were lucky to live until 30 years old. Something to think about before investing in a meat locker...

--Kaitie Ames

5 Delicious, All-Natural Snacks!

5 Delicious, All-Natural Snacks!: SELF.com

You're sitting at your desk, the clock strikes 3pm, and...bam! The slump hits you. A trip to the vending machine leads to a decision between chips, candy and soda. Notquiiiite the nutritious pick-me-up you need. How to avoid this problem? Stock up on these five all-natural, ten-second sweet or savory snacks, courtesy of The Perfect 10 Diet's Dr. Michael Aziz!...

1. A mixed-berry, coconut milk smoothie. Mix berries of your choice, coconut milk and ice and blend for a cool, refreshing treat. The coconut milk tastes sweeter and is extra-hydrating.

2. One banana sliced and sprinkled with dark cocoa powder. Potassium in banana banishes bloat, while dark chocolate adds a hint of antioxidants!

3. Chickpeas. Add some flavor with this SELFy recipe: the night before work, toss the chickpeas with olive oil and curry powder, and roast away for a spicy treat!

4. Lettuce leaves dipped in avocado mashed with sea salt and pepper. Avocados in this savory snack provide healthy fats while lettuce leaves instead of chips save calories.

5. Frozen grapes. At only 62 calories per cup, you can snack on grapes to your heart's content! They're water-rich so they make a great frozen treat and can help keep you hydrated.

For more information on alternatives to processed foods in Dr. Aziz's book, The Perfect 10 Diet, visit Perfect10Diet.com.

--Kaitie Ames