DO YOU KNOW THAT BITTER FOODS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH?

Here are a few of the health benefits of bitter foods.


1. Helps to absorb nutrients
While bitterness is often perceived as unpleasant, the interaction between bitter constituents in foods and our
bitter taste receptors stimulate the
production of gastric acid in the stomach. This helps prime the stomach for the food it is about to encounter.
Bitter foods and herbs help to
stimulate digestive juices and support food digestion,
Bitter foods help stimulate our taste receptors on the
tongue, which subsequently stimulates enzyme
production and bile flow. The better your food is
digested, the more nutrients you will absorb from your
food. It doesn't matter what you eat, if you can't absorb
it, it won't be of much benefit to you. We often
recommend eating a dandelion salad for people with
digestive problems.


2. Balances taste buds and controls that sweet tooth
The more bitter greens we eat, the more bitter greens we
want. Bitter foods are thought to reduce food cravings
and aid in weight loss.


3. Cleanses the body
Bitter roots and veggies contain fiber to help sweep
wastes through the digestive tract. Bitter foods also
contain sulfur-based compounds which support the
natural detoxification pathways in the liver; helping it to
do what it is meant to do – keep your body clean and
clear.


4. Stimulates metabolism
Bitter foods and herbs like green tea have been shown to
boost metabolism. Drinking green tea is one of the
easiest ways to rev up your metabolism. A study shows
that green tea-extract increases the metabolism by 4%
over a 24-hour period. Green tea has also been shown to
inhibit fat absorption—the movement of glucose into fat
cells, [support healthy] glucose levels after eating a
meal, prevent insulin spikes which prevents fat storage,
and reduce appetite. People that choose sweet foods
over bitter foods are also at risk for metabolic syndrome.


5. Fights free radicals and stimulates immune function
Recent studies have shown that bitter foods, including
dark chocolate, can help fight free radicals in the body.
Of course, Bitter foods pack plenty of nutrition into each
bite. For instance, beta- carotene for healthy skin; folate
for a healthy nervous system; vitamin K for healthy blood
clotting and phyto-chemicals for healthy inflammation
response, managing cholesterol,
balance hormones, detoxify the blood and metabolizes
fats. Many greens are also mineral rich; gentle cooking
will help make those minerals more available to the
human body.

There are a wide variety of bitter foods and herbs. Some
of them are best taken as a tea to help your body
register the bitter taste to get the digestive juices
flowing.

Some bitter foods and herbs include:
*Bitter leaf
*Dark chocolate
*Coffee
*Nettles
*Dill
*Dandelion
*Watercress
*Bitter melon and gourd
*Leafy greens
*Barley
*Basil
*Lettuce e.t.c