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Why is the bitter taste so important to our health?

Why is the bitter taste so important to our health?
Bitter taste


the bitter taste so important to our health?


The rapid pace of life does not always allow us to cook homemade breakfast, lunch and dinner. Therefore, we often use convenience foods and instant products.

 The main tastes of this food are sweet and salty, less often sour and spicy. And only the bitter taste, the most important for our health, is practically absent in the consumed foods.

The food industry is trying by any means to reduce the bitter taste of manufactured products.
When processing vegetables, fruits and berries, filters and adsorbents, chemicals and enzymes are used. Salt is added to sauces, chips and instant soups, and sugar to soft drinks. In agriculture, many years are spent on breeding and gene modifications of plants to remove even a little bitterness.

Sensitivity to bitterness developed in people in ancient times, when a person was still a collector. This made it possible not to eat not only inedible, but also potentially dangerous unripe fruits and roots. The ability acquired experimentally to acutely feel the bitter taste was fixed at the genetic level and began to be transmitted to the next generations

Taste sensations of bitterness are provided by various receptors. These receptors are elongated cells located in the epithelium of the mouth on the taste buds of the tongue, soft palate and pharynx. Moreover, the area of ​​bitterness in the language is greater than the areas responsible for the definition of sweet, salty and sour.

Food molecules dissolved in saliva, through special pores, enter the cells of the taste buds, and then the information is transmitted to a special section of the cerebral cortex.


Almost every fourth person has more bitter taste buds than the rest of the people. Moreover, in women, these receptors are more susceptible than in men. They feel such bitterness in drinks and dishes that men often do not even notice. And this is natural, because women have long been responsible for the nutrition of the family!

A special hypersensitivity to bitter exists in children. But during puberty, intolerance towards this taste begins to weaken. And we discover tea and coffee, lemons and grapefruits, wine and beer.

The alarm becomes less pronounced. It has now been found that most of the beneficial organic compounds found in vegetables, some berries and fruits taste bitter. Almost all of them have anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, which means they are able to prevent the main diseases of civilization - cardiovascular and oncological.

But these substances have other useful properties:

flavonoids that color plant tissues are powerful antioxidants;
isothiocyanates, which are part of cruciferous vegetables, have an antimicrobial and cholesterol lowering effect, and also regulate the metabolic functions of the body;

falkarindiol contained in carrots has antifungal properties;
cucurbitin, found in pumpkin, zucchini and cucumbers, has anthelmintic, antimicrobial, analgesic and choleretic properties;

Tomato, which protects tomatoes, has antihistamine properties and is able to activate muscle growth and preservation;

naringenin and limonin contained in citrus fruits normalize blood cholesterol, having a positive effect on the functioning of the liver, and improve cognitive functions;

sorbic acid present in cranberries and rowan berries has a strong antimicrobial effect.


Why is the bitter taste so important to our health?


If you are insensitive to the bitter or even appreciate this taste - rejoice. You are less likely to experience obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Otherwise, try to love the bitter. Research scientists say it is possible!

It is necessary to increase the use of seasonings and spices in cooking, reduce the amount of added sugar in coffee and tea, supplement traditional dishes with healthy vegetables, masking them with grated cheese or sauces. Increase the intake of healthy foods should be gradual. Usually the addiction process lasts about two months.

It is especially important to form a positive attitude to products with bitterness in children in order to protect them from the emergence of diseases of civilization

You can add fruit to salads for children, sprinkle them with grated nuts or toasted sesame seeds, and use yogurt with cinnamon and honey as a dressing. It is good to use mashed cocktails - smoothies, the basis of which to make salad leaves. Vegetables cut into pieces of an unusual shape can be baked in the oven and garnished with fruit slices. Better yet, prevent the formation of bad taste habits in the child!

French scientists have proven that taste preferences are formed during pregnancy. Products that a future mother consumes affect the taste of the liquid in which the fetus floats. After birth, when the lure begins, the baby will like healthy vegetables and fruits.

Bitter substances activate the digestion of food and bring a sense of fullness closer. All this helps to control appetite and regulate body weight. In the field of herbal medicine, bitter substances have been used for a long time in order to optimize the digestion process, providing not only the assimilation of nutrients, but also the timely disposal of unused. Under the influence of bitterness, more saliva, gastric juice, enzymes are released, and intestinal muscles are also activated. Small amounts of bitter substances, in the form of a decoction or tincture, taken before meals, stimulate appetite.

American geneticists have been able to synthesize a compound that blocks the bitter taste. Previously, it was found in breast milk, and now they are going to use it in pharmaceuticals and the food industry. True, it is still unknown whether this substance will change the beneficial properties of food “bitterness”! Therefore, it is worth working on your own taste preferences yourself.






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