What is bitter and why. What makes food bitter

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The receptors of our tongue are able to capture sweetness, acidity, s altiness, bitterness. They transmit these signals to the brain. But here's the paradox: we often perceive bitterness as a "repellent agent." It is associated with us not just with something unpleasant, but dangerous to he alth. This feeling has its own logical background. Many poisonous berries, mushrooms, or herbs contain alkaloids that are both bitter and toxic. But, indiscriminately rejecting everything that reminds us of bile, we "throw the baby out with the water." Let's first understand what is bitter and why. What do the papillae of our tongue actually hear? And does an unpleasant taste always signal danger to us?

Gustotherapy

Even Aristotle recognized the concept of "basic tastes". True, he had only two of them: sweet and bitter. All the rest - sour, astringent, tart, burning, s alty - were obtained from the combination of these basic ones. There are five such basic tastes in Chinese philosophy. Along with bitter and sweet, there are s alty, sour and spicy. Each taste is responsible forany organ. And he alth is achieved only when a person eats the products of all these five elements in a balanced way. This is called thick therapy - treatment with tastes. What is bitter to the tongue is good for the heart, clears the mind, and makes the organs of the digestive tract work better. So says traditional Chinese medicine. Well, what does Western European science say about this?

Is bitterness good?

The sensation of bile on the tongue is achieved with the help of G-proteins. Most people reflexively dislike anything that tastes bitter. But sometimes it's not a danger signal. The tip of our tongue does not always warn us that we have put something poisonous in our mouth. On the contrary, studies show that the complete exclusion of bitterness from the diet leads to the development of various diseases. Therefore, the food industry even chemically synthesizes substances that taste like horseradish or radish. One example is quinine. This substance is also called "reference bitterness". Quinine is used not only as a cure for malaria. It is also used in the manufacture of such a well-known soft drink as tonic. But denatonium, synthesized in 1958, is added to all sorts of detergents that are hazardous to he alth with a pleasant smell. Intense bitterness prevents possible ingestion of the poison by animals or children.

The importance of bad taste

How right are Chinese doctors? Let's see in the process how what is bitter affects ourorganism. The receptors of the tongue transmit a signal about the taste of bile to the central nervous system. This stimulates the endocrine glands. The stomach begins to secrete digestive juices, and this increases appetite. As a result, food is well digested. Bitterness wakes up the liver and pancreas. For the first, it helps to perform the function of detoxification, and for the second - to increase secretion, which regulates the level of sugar in the blood. Liver activation regulates hormonal levels. And bile makes the duodenum work well. But that's not all. Bitterness has been proven to have an antidepressant effect on our brains. That's why dark chocolate is called "the product that gives you a good mood."

Consequences of avoiding bitter tastes

Alas, the modern consumer era goes to great lengths to make our food enjoyable. The only bitters available now are dark chocolate and coffee. But we also mix these products with sugar, which completely neutralizes the beneficial effect of the first basic taste. What is bitter from modern products? The hops in the beer are softened by the m alt. Even lettuce, which our ancestors used in the wild to increase appetite before meals, began to be rendered insipid and tasteless. But the lack of bitterness leads to dysfunction of the male and female genital organs, hormonal imbalance, migraines, stomach disorders, painful periods, disorders in the liver, intestines, diabetes, hypoglycemia.

Whatcan be bitter from foods

What can we eat that would be both tasty and he althy? Bitter black radish salad will be an excellent aperitif before a plentiful feast. Just rub the root crop along with celery, add chopped green onions and dill, season with sour cream. Not sweeter than radish and horseradish. It contains mustard oil, which, by the way, not only stimulates appetite, but also prevents cavities. Horseradish is also used to make salads. Of course, fatty foods will be easier to digest with a seasoning such as mustard. It also has a calming effect on the nervous system. Grapefruit is bitter fruit. It is also called "fat burner". But one should not get carried away with a grapefruit diet, since the influx of gastric juice caused by it can provoke an ulcer. Drinks such as tea and coffee are bitter. Don't stuff them with sugar. Let the tannin open up to its full potential. Live beer and dark chocolate are those bitter foods that have no contraindications.

Late cucumbers and zucchini - are they he althy?

And if bitterness appears in products that are not? For example, in a dry summer or when autumn approaches, cucumbers are not as tender as they were in spring. Why does this happen? What makes cucumbers bitter? The fact is that a tender vegetable is sensitive to all temperature fluctuations. The lack of moisture also drives the plant into shock. As a result, cucurbitacin, a special substance that gives the vegetable bitterness, accumulates under the skin of the cucumber. In spite ofunpleasant taste, the product does not become unsuitable for consumption. On the contrary, cucurbitacin suppresses the development of oncological diseases, and also contributes to the functioning of the liver, pancreas, and intestines. What makes zucchini bitter? “Guilty” is the same cucurbitacin. Do not rush to throw away such fruits. In China, breeders have specially bred varieties of bitter cucumbers and squash, which are used as medicines.