Buy a box of Entenmann’s assorted doughnuts (powdered, plain, chocolate). Place them on your counter. Watch what happens.

Humans are magnetically attracted to doughnuts. Especially when they’re in a blue-and-white box that reminds us of childhood. P dropped them in our shopping cart this weekend, and I asked if he was kidding. I’ve been on a mission to shift his diet from burgers and ice cream to something lighter–like kale, perhaps. Doughnuts with a 10-year shelf life are definitely not on the menu.

Which reminded me of a vegan chef I recently interviewed. When I asked her to reveal a few flavor secrets, she said that there are none–whole foods are already flavorful. But our American palates are so acclimated to the clamor of sugary and salty processed foods, she added, that they miss the subtle nuttiness of millet or the green sweetness of curly kale. The trick is resensitize our taste buds. (Told ya, P).

Back to the Entenmann’s. Nobody can resist that box. P’s already eaten four. My neighbor who lives on sardines and spinach salad had two. Even my friend who exists on parsley juice and seaweed flakes had three significant bites as she read the offending ingredient list: “hydrogenated palm kernel oil, refined sugar, white flour.” I watched them as I slurped down nonfat yogurt and a cup of green tea. “Doughnuts are poison,” I mumbled under my breath. Am I drawing too hard of a line? What do YOU think?

— Guest blogger Marisa Lowenstein