Heylola2

Quick- Think of your favorite food! …Is it bitter? Sweet? Spicy?

Have you ever stopped and wondered if there was a scientific or biological reason for why you fancy this particular food? Or why you favor some of the other cuisine that your taste buds prefer? According to an article on Live Science written by Adam Hadhazy, you may be a “supertaster” or a “nontaster” depending on how many fungiform papillae, or those areas on the back of your tongue that house your taste buds, you have. How do you identify which of the two you are, you might ask? Hadhazy describes the two as follows and further explains how to self diagnose which you might be:

Supertasters:

·         have a high amount of the taste sensitive mechanisms

·         tend to avoid spicy foods

·         add lots of milk and sugar to coffee

·         like salty snacks, commonly add salt to vegetables

Nontasters

·         have very few of the taste sensitive mechanisms

·         enjoy spicy foods containing hot peppers and spices

·         commonly take their coffee black

As I sit here drinking my Starbucks coffee, which yes, I do take black, I am wondering what sort of impact this could have on, well, anything. Hadhazy’s article explains that these two classifications of supertasters and nontasters have a number of important implications on your individual eating behaviors. You will inherently eat what tastes good and stay away from those foods that have an unpleasant taste. One of Penn State’s own professors of food science, John E. Hayes, shared his knowledge on the topic, saying: “Supertasters are more sensitive to the burn from ethanol, the sweetness of sugar, the burn of chili peppers and the astringency of red wine.” It is these sensations that the article says affect what supertasters and nontasters either eat in abundance or sparsely eat at all. If you have ever been labeled as a “picky eater” it is likely because you are a supertaster and tend to stay away from many foods that have a taste you don’t prefer.

What I gather is that depending on the quantity of taste structures you have on the back of your tongue, you will either love certain foods or hate certain foods. As a supertaster, you may stay away from a variety of foods since you are sensitive to strong flavors. This will probably negatively affect your diet. Although, Hadhazy does point out that are eating habits aren’t solely dependent on this genetic inheritance. We also make coherent decisions about what we eat.

Do you know what kind of eater you are? Are there any supertasters or nontasters out there?