A Bittersweet Trait

Bite this: A human has about 10,000 taste buds. Taste is the weakest of the five senses.

Alright, Alright. We get it already. We need to eat certain foods for our bodies to function (or maybe just not eat so much food). But what if we don’t like the foods that our body needs? How can some people love the taste of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. while others despise the taste? Taste perception is truly an interesting concept – another fascinating mechanism of the human body. Why does one person prefer sweet vs. bitter foods? Like many other preferences, genetics play a key role in taste perception.
We have 4 senses of taste (disputable depending on where you are in the world) - sweet, salt, bitter and sour. These tastes enabled humans to eat in order to survive (sweet provided energy,calories) as well as to avoid dangers of poisonous or rotten foods (bitter). Sensitivity to bitter-tasting compounds is a genetic trait that has been recognized for more than 70 years. Bitter taste receptors enable animals to detect and avoid toxins in the environment. However, at low dosages, these bitter plants include secondary compounds containing antioxidants that are beneficial for the body. 
There are supertasters who are very sensitive to bitter tastes, tasters who are sensitive to bitter taste and non-tasters who are not sensitive. Obviously in this case, supertasters tend to not like vegetables that contain bitter secondary compounds (antioxidants).  But there are other factors such as age, sex and ethnicity that may also modify the response to bitter-tasting compounds.

Children differ from adults in taste perception and much of their taste is learned behavior. Children learn to eat foods that they are familiar with – mostly bland foods- and do not enjoy trying new foods.

Which brings us to another factor that affects taste - environment. In addition to genetic preferences in taste, time, resources and convenience all have roles in the foods we eat.

So how can we make a supertaster enjoy vegetables? And at what cost?

Adding spices and sauces to fruits and vegetables enhances the flavor and one who is against eating these foods may actually learn to enjoy them.  There are a lot of ways to play up the flavor of vegetables, however many people just do not know how or do not wish to take the time to do so. However, just think that 30 minutes of preparation a day may just give you a few extra years in return.  

Sound bite: Try one new vegetable this week that you have not tried before or have not had in a long time i.e. kale, collard greens, artichoke, eggplant, etc.

Spiced Cauliflower with Red Bell Pepper and Peas

(From Market Vegetarian by Ross Dobson)

½ head of cauliflower, cut into large florets

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

3 Tbs light olive oil

2 tsp black mustard seeds

6-8 curry leaves

1 onion, sliced

1 small red pepper, thinly sliced

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large green chili, sliced

½ cup vegetable stock

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup shelled fresh peas

Put the cauliflower florets in a large bowl with the cumin and turmeric and toss until evenly coated in the spices.

Put the oil in a skillet set over medium/high heat. Add the cauliflower, mustard seeds, and curry leaves and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the pieces often so they soften and color with the spices. Add the onion and red bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the stock, tomatoes and peas. Reduce the heat and let simmer gently for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.

Makes 4 servings for about $2.30 per serving. A plain salad at McDonald's cost about $2.50 and has minimal nutritional quality.