What kind of food do you enjoy? Did you know your choice of food is mostly determined by your taste buds, but not everyone have the same amount of taste buds and same levels of taste perception, that is why based on those two factors we have been classified into:
Super Taster
Medium/ Sub Taster
Non Taster
A supertaster is a special kind of taster who is able to taste things that other people cannot taste. They are able to taste things that are too bitter or sweet for most people. Supertasters make up about 25% of the population.
Non tasters are people who can't taste certain chemicals, like quinine, which gives tonic water its bitterness. These chemicals are called bitter tastants. Most people can taste bitter tastants, but some people can't. This difference is due to a gene called TAS2R38. If you can't taste bitter tastants, you may be a non taster. Non tasters make up about 25% of the population. That means that about 1 in 4 people are non tasters. Being a non taster doesn't mean that you can't taste all flavors. You may be able to taste sweet, salt, and sour just fine. You just can't taste bitter. Medium/ Sub tasters make up 50% of the population. They have the ability to enjoy a wide range of food and are more open to trying out new foods. Unlike supertasters they do not find anything to be too bitter or too sweet, they are able to enjoy the flavor of each food they eat.
Did you know? The term "medium taster" is used to describe individuals who have the ability to sense the range of human emotions by tasting or smelling food. While this may sound like a supernatural ability, it is actually a real phenomenon that has been well-documented by scientists. So how does it work? It's still not entirely clear, but it is thought that medium tasters have a heightened sense of smell and taste that allows them to pick up on subtle changes in the flavor of food. This, in turn, allows them to sense the emotions of the people who cooked the food.
Food Preferences
Supertasters tend to eat less vegetables as they find them bitter. Also, they tend to eat more salty foods as salt masks the bitter taste found in some foods. They most likely stay away from fatty foods as they don’t like it and really spicy foods are out of the list as they have a higher perception of food, making them feel the spice/ hotness twice as much as other tasters.
Non tasters would eat just about anything as they don’t feel the extremities that supertasters have to deal with, they would usually opt for sugary and salty foods. Also, they enjoy spicy foods and are able to add more spice to their meals. For medium tasters, they can enjoy all foods as long as it isn’t “sugary” or “spicy” or “salty”, they stay in the middle and get to enjoy the balance of food. The fastest way to determine where you fall into the categories of tasters, is to get the PTC strip and if you are unable to get one, you can pay more attention to your food preferences from today. It is important to know what taster you are as this would guide you in making healthier food choices. Meanwhile, taste perception can be hindered by sickness or an accident.
Influence of Taste buds on our Health
Supertasters are more prone to neurodegenerative diseases, this is because for those who have more taste buds i.e the super tasters, they would eat less of hot and spicy foods such as food that contain a lot of pepper, ginger e.t.c and studies have shown that spices generally control inflammation and they also help to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, supertasters have slightly elevated risk of developing colon cancer because they tend to eat fewer vegetables. They usually have a lower BMI, this is because they don’t like the taste of fat and hence eat less fatty foods. Also since supertasters are more likely to taste bitter, they are less likely to take coffee without adding lots of cream and sugar.
Non tasters are found to have diseases such as cretinism, nodular goitre and diabetes, this is because they have a high intake of sugar and salt. Also, they tend to be overweight as they tend to eat a lot more than the other taster group.
As indicated in the introduction, we all have different tastes and this is due to our taste buds, genetics and upbringing. Did you know we start developing tastes for certain foods from the womb, depending on what is consumed by our mothers? If you have more taste for sugary foods, you are likely to consume them more and you are more prone to developing diseases such as diabetes. If you are a non taster, you most probably add a lot of salt to your food and this also has its effect on your health. Food should be consumed in balance, the majority of us have difficulties doing this due to so many other factors besides our taste types. The purpose of this writing is to inform you that your taste buds also affect your choice of food in turn affecting your health, in turn affecting your lifestyle.
Remember that, supertasters have 2 times the taste buds of medium and non tasters. Being a non tasters doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t taste anything, it just means you can’t taste the substance phenyl-thio-carbamide (PTC) and this means you can’t sense the basic five tastes in small quantities i.e you tend to add a lot of salt while cooking, because in small quantities you won’t feel it. I hope you are able to identify the type of taster you are and understand why you eat what you eat. Don't forget to subscribe to our mail list in order to get updates on our blog.
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