Bitter foods aren’t the most popular, but pound for pound, they’re the healthiest
Sweet or bitter?
In life, choose sweet. But when it comes to food, go with bitter.
Bitter is usually better for you because the compounds that make foods bitter also make them healthy.
That’s according to food developer and taste expert Barb Stuckey. In a recent Wall St. Journal article, she highlights three bitter compounds…
- Carotenoids — anti-inflammatory compounds found in spinach, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes
- Flavonoids — antioxidant compounds found in cranberries, kale, red apples, and red wine
- Polyphenols — antioxidant compounds found in green tea, red wine, and rhubarb
Bitter foods also contain phytonutrients called salvestrols. These compounds protect plants from insects and bacteria. But in humans, they appear to kill cancer cells.
Stuckey says that less than 10% of our total calories come from bitter foods. That’s because we tend to choose sweet over bitter.
Hmmm… I think we can do better at bitter.
Sources:
“For Healthy Eating, Bitter is Better” Barb Stuckey, Wall St. Journal, 5/25/12, online.wsy.com
