This is a good time for us to cultivate our taste for something bitter. However, chocolates and coffee are probably off this list because most of these products are highly sweetened.
Most of you might cringe your faces but we need to start loving our green and leafy vegetables and herbs - most of them have a hint of bitterness in them!
Bitter is Better
Here is why we gain something good from bitter foods:
1. Bitter foods fuel up the liver to produce more bile, which is a very important fluid that helps in the digestive process of the body. Therefore, more bile juice and enzymes produced would mean better digestion. That leads to better absorption of nutrients in the body.
2. Bitter foods such as dandelion greens, kale and arugula and bitter melon are rich in nutrients that support the liver and its functions, such as detoxifying blood, metabolizing fats and managing cholesterol.
Kale
3. Healthy compounds in some foods are actually bitter. Spinach and carrots are rich in carotenoids; kale and cranberries are rich in flavonoids. These are compounds that give a slight bitter taste to these vegetables.
4. Bitter foods help balance taste buds. The more bitter greens we eat, the more bitter greens we want. If you want to control that sweet tooth, load on the bitter leaves. Eventually, you will find yourself developing a balanced liking for both sweet and bitter tastes.
5. Bitter roots and veggies contain fiber that helps cleanse the body from waste. The fiber content of these vegetables makes it efficient in flushing away the waste products of our digestive system.
Taking on something new is always a challenge. Now is the best time to have a paradigm shift on what we consider as delicious. After all, being healthy and happy is what matters.
This is a point in life that we need to digest the fact that SUGAR is the culprit of heart disease and many diseases for that matter. It might be good to cut down on sweets and embrace at least a tinge of bitterness in our diet. It could mean a whole lot of benefits for our health.
References:
Weil, A. (2014). [online] The Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/bitter-foods_b_5206909.html [Accessed 11 Apr. 2016].
Best Health Magazine Canada. (2013). 5 health benefits of bitter foods | Best Health Magazine Canada. [online] Available at: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/healthy-eating/5-health-benefits-of-bitter-foods/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2016].
Nature's Sunshine. (2013). 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Bitter Foods and Herbs. [online] Available at: http://blog.naturessunshine.com/en/5-reasons-why-you-should-eat-bitter-foods-and-herbs/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2016].