Many times we get used to having a very sweet life and it can even make it difficult for us to eat bitter foods. However, if you are looking for good health, their consumption will always be necessary, since they are sources of nutrients that allow us to cleanse our body, in addition to contributing to its best performance.
Bitter foods and herbs have the ability to stimulate digestive juices and aid in better digestion of food. This is because bitter foods are able to stimulate taste receptors, which are found on the tongue, and then stimulate greater enzyme production and the flow of bile. Better digestion of food also promotes greater absorption of nutrients, as the amount of food we consume does not matter, but the amount of nutrients we absorb.
It is always recommended to have a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods. However, if you have digestive problems you should eat bitter foods such as tooth lion in salads before a big meal.
Another food classification can be made from the flavors. There are four types: bitter, salty, sweet and sour. Bitter- tasting foods are especially vegetables (artichokes, squash, chard, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers…). There are also drinks with this flavor: coffee, beer or lemon juice. It is a flavor that is not accepted by a part of the population and the proof of this is that it is often mixed with sugar. The reason is that the taste buds of the tongue have a certain rejection of certain plant substances in these foods and it is believed to be an evolutionary mechanism to detect the bitter taste of poisons. This would explain why children are not very fond of eating vegetables.
It is very interesting how ancient Chinese and Hindu diets regularly included bitter foods due to their health benefits. This can be seen today because bitter vegetables like chicory, dandelion, rapini, endive, kale, daikon, and arugula have phytonutrients that promote better liver function, control cholesterol, help balance hormones, detoxify the blood, and improve fat metabolism.
In general, bitter greens are rich in nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. They are also rich in folic acid, fiber, and low in fat and sodium.
In general, bitter foods and drinks have little acceptance. Unsweetened or milk chocolate is bitter and not very popular. We peel the oranges because their skin is bitter. Apparently lettuce in the past was bitter and now its original taste has been made to disappear. The tonic has a characteristic bitter taste because it contains quinine, a substance used to fight malaria. And a curiosity about the bitter taste is what happens with shampoo, which has this taste to prevent children from eating it.
