But just like the will-they-or-won’t-they couple you see duking it out over a Facebook relationship status, scientists haven’t made it “official.” Though a growing body of evidence—including a totally gross taste test during which participants sipped glasses of water laced with fat—points to the fact that people can indeed taste fat, more research is required before the sixth taste hits textbooks. MORE: We Tried It: Seaweed That Tastes Like Bacon Still, for scientists like Russell Keast, a professor of sensory science at Deakin University, there’s no doubt that fat has a specific taste. It’s that taste component, along with fat’s oily texture, that help your brain enjoy fatty foods, he says. (And probably why the low-fat food movement of the 1990s failed so miserably.) But if you think that gives you license to hit up the nearest fast-food joint (All of my taste buds must be exercised!), you’re wrong. The best way to enjoy the taste of fat isn’t by eating more fat. According to Keast, studies show that a low-fat diet increases your sensitivity to the taste, and that you get the brain and taste-bud benefits of fat at lower concentrations. Plus, not all fat is created equal. Some fats, like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, are “more activating” than others—say, the fat dripping off your drive-thru meal, according to Keast. In other words: the better it is for you, the better it tastes. MORE: The Five Best Tasting No-Cal Stevia Sweeteners So even though it’s loaded with fat, a fast-food burger won’t do much to light up your taste buds. Instead, you’ll want to grab something with a healthy amount of healthy fat. Here, seven foods that’ll get the job done: Avocados Your favorite green fruit is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, about 15 grams per cup of avocado. MORE: 12 Insanely Creative Ways to Eat Avocado Nuts Up to 80% of a nut is fat, and most of it is the healthy unsaturated kind. Scientists agree that walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts (even though they’re technically legumes) are all healthy sources of fat. Black Olives Like nuts, olives are more than 80% fat. Almost three quarters of it comes from inflammation-fighting monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed More than half of flaxseed’s high fat content comes from heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Grass-Fed Beef Beef is certainly one of the fattier meats you can eat, but almost half of that fat is monounsaturated. Salmon It’s no secret that salmon has a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids. MORE: The One Ingredient That Makes Salmon Delicious Eggs As long as you don’t get rid of the yolk, eggs provide a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids.
