If you consider yourself a foodie of any variety – that is, a lover of food, for whom the act of eating and tasting is an experience unto itself – then do yourself a favor and go on a strict diet right now.

Forget the multitude of benefits of a healthy diet. Disregard for a moment the fat loss that invariably accompanies a reasonable diet. Don’t bother right now with the tremendous fitness gains that come simply from eating reasonably. No, right now, just focus on the simple delight of making food taste better.

See a byproduct of our industrialized age is the making of once-rare a common item. This means fruits and vegetables – especially exotic ones – are easier to find and more accessible. But it also makes high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar foods just as accessible (if not more so). Despite what many in the health industry will tell you, high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar foods are good for you…in VERY small doses. We’re talking once a week, once a month sorts of doses. Maybe even a few times a year. But thanks to the modern age, we can have access to these delicacies daily. Even hourly.

There are more than a few problems associated with this level of availability, but the one I mean to address today is the warping of the taste buds. Exposure to high-fat foods, high-sugar foods, literally alters the way we process taste. Akin to going to a loud concert, binge eating on these foods dulls the sensitivity of the taste buds and of the body as a whole. Now imagine going to a concert every night of the week? How long until hearing troubles manifest?

Binge eating overwhelms the taste buds, it doesn’t reward them. And it leaves food tasting bland. Alternatively, a modest and simple diet needn’t be bland. And it preps the taste buds for the delight of the epic meals one can truly enjoy and savor.

There are a lot of reasons to live on a healthy and reasonable diet. But beyond the health and vanity reasons, one rarely talked about is the way it will make all food taste so, so much better.