The receptors of our language are able to capture sweetness, acid, salinity, bitterness. They transmit these signals to the brain. But here is the paradox: we often perceive bitterness as a “scaring agent”. It is associated with us not just with something unpleasant, but dangerous to health. This sensation has its logical background. Many poisonous berries, mushrooms or herbs contain alkaloids that are both bitter and toxic. But, rejecting indiscriminately everything that reminds us of bile, we "splash out along with water the child." Let’s first understand what is bitter and why. What do the papillae of our tongue actually hear? And does bad taste always signal us about danger?
Hustotherapy
Aristotle also recognized the concept of "basic tastes." True, he had only two of them: sweet and bitter. All the rest - sour, astringent, astringent, burning, salty - were obtained from the combination of these basic ones. There are five such basic tastes in Chinese philosophy. Along with the bitter and sweet, there are salty, sour and spicy. Each taste is responsible for any organ. And health is achieved only when a person balancedly eats the products of all these five elements. This is called denser therapy - a treatment for tastes. What is bitter for the tongue has a beneficial effect on the heart, cleanses the mind and makes 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 in the tongue is achieved using G-proteins. Most people reflexively dislike what is bitter in taste. But sometimes this is not a signal of danger. The tip of our tongue does not always warn us that we put something poisonous in our mouths. On the contrary, studies show that a complete exclusion from the diet of bitterness 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 dangerous detergents for health with a pleasant smell. Strong bitterness prevents the possible use of poison by animals or children.
Why is bad taste important?
How correct are the Chinese Aesculapius? Let's understand in the process how what happens bitter affects our body. Tongue receptors transmit a signal about the taste of bile to the central nervous system. It stimulates the endocrine glands. The stomach begins to secrete digestive juices, and this increases the appetite. As a result, food is well absorbed. Bitterness makes the liver with the pancreas wake up. First, it helps to perform the function of detoxification, and the second - to enhance the secretion that regulates blood sugar. Liver activation regulates hormones. And bile makes the duodenum work well. But that is not all. It has been proven that bitterness has an antidepressant effect on our brain. That is why dark chocolate is called a “product that gives a good mood."
The consequences of avoiding a bitter taste
Alas, the modern consumer era goes to great lengths to make our food enjoyable. The only bitterness that is available now is dark chocolate and coffee. But we mix these products with sugar, which completely neutralizes the beneficial effects of the first basic taste. What is the bitter of modern foods? Hops in beer are softened with malt. Even the salad, which our ancestors consumed in the wild, to increase appetite before eating, began to display fresh and tasteless. But the absence of bitterness leads to dysfunction of the male and female genital organs, hormonal imbalance, migraines, gastric disorders, painful periods, disturbances in the liver, intestines, diabetes, hypoglycemia.
What happens to be the bitter of foods
What can we eat so that it is both tasty and healthy? Bitter black radish salad will be an excellent aperitif before a plentiful feast. Just rub the root vegetable 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 tooth decay. Horseradish is also used for 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. From fruit bitter grapefruit. It is also called a "fat burner." But you should not get involved in a grapefruit diet, since the caused influx of gastric juice can provoke an ulcer. Beverages such as tea and coffee are bitter. Do not clog them with sugar. Let the tannin unfold in full power. Live beer and dark chocolate are those bitter foods that have no contraindications.
Late cucumbers and zucchini - are they useful?
And if bitterness appears in products that are not? For example, in dry summers or when autumn approaches, cucumbers do not become as tender as they were in spring. Why does this happen? Why are cucumbers bitter? The fact is that a delicate vegetable is sensitive to all temperature fluctuations. The lack of moisture also drives the plant into shock. As a result, cucurbitacin accumulates under the skin of a cucumber, a special substance that gives the vegetable bitterness. Despite the unpleasant taste, the product does not become unsuitable for ingestion. On the contrary, cucurbitacin inhibits the development of cancer, and also contributes to the work of the liver, pancreas, intestines. And why are zucchini bitter? “Guilty” is the same cucurbititacin. Do not rush to throw such fruits. In China, breeders specifically bred varieties of bitter cucumbers and zucchini, which are used as medicines.