Bitter Substances for Your Figure

Bitter Substances for Your Figure

One person makes a face and puts down his fork, while another radiates and eats with pleasure. Tastes simply differ.

This above all applies to bitter flavours. Their stimuli affect the brain 10,000 times more strongly than "sweet flavours" and warn us against poisons such as cucurbitacin, which is sometimes contained in courgettes, cucumbers or pumpkins, against tomatine in unripe tomatoes and solanine in green potatoes.

Some people are so sensitive to these flavours that they find bitter-sweet vegetables such as radicchio, chicory, endives, cabbage and spinach simply inedible.

However, most people really enjoy these fine bitter flavours. They love bitter pilsner and dark chocolate.

However, if a bitter taste becomes stronger with each bite, a signal to stop is triggered at some time. Bitter food causes those who have sensitive palates to stop eating.

People who avoid bitter tasting food or who do not taste them at all tend to eat considerably more, researchers maintain. Above all, more fat.

It's a real shame that vegetable growers and agribusiness are eliminating the beneficial bitter substances from our food more and more.

We will probably only have bitters to drink in the future! Cheers, drink up!

Text: Elisabeth Lange