6 Ways to Love Bitter Greens

6 Ways to Love Bitter Greens

We know that some of you don't particularly care for bitter greens. We can understand that, which is why we wanted to share a few tips to help you finally enjoy these healthy greens!

1. Start by being open to trying new things. Research has shown that being willing to try new foods is helpful to liking them too.

2. Keep on trying! Believe it or not your taste buds change, so repeated exposure (up to 8 times) will help you widen your palate.

3. Add fat. Adding some fat will soften the flavor. Think about how the flavor of coffee softens when you add cream to it. The same thing happens to bitter greens! This is why some recipes suggest to massage bitter greens with oil. The fat hides the flavor and massaging breaks down the fibers in the leaves.

4. Just a spoonful of sugar. A small amount of sugar can help decrease the bitter flavor of greens and make them more pleasant.

5. Add salt. Adding something like a finishing salt can mask that bitter flavor. Think of olives - when first picked they are incredibly bitter, but soak them in a salty brine and they become something we love.

6. Try adding salt, sugar, and fat - then, back off. Start by adding all three (salt, sugar, and fat) to your liking, then slowly back off until you're only adding a minimal amount, or none at all. This will slowly change what your perception of bitter is.

Reference: Eating Well, January/February 2016, 6 Ways You Can Learn To Love Bitter (p. 78).

More on Bitter Compounds

More on bitter compounds!

Here are more compounds found in bitter foods that provide a multitude of benefits!  Read below to see what healthy things are in the foods that you eat.

Naringin

Found in: tomatoes, citrus fruits like grapefruit

What it does: Associated with improvements in diabetes, obesity and cognitive diseases. May also protect cells from UV damage.

Anthocyanins

Found in: Berries, black beans, cherries, peaches, pomegranate, plums, red onion, eggplant, red cabbage

What it does: Improve vision and protect against aging, heart disease and cancer. The antimicrobial properties they possess may even help prevent foodborne illnesses, by killing pathogens before they have a change to make us sick.

Quercetin

Found in: Apples, onions, leeks, rasicchio, radishes

What it does: Acts as an antihistamine and has anti-inflammatory properties that may protect agains heart disease and cancer

Proanthocyanidins

Found in: Apples, berries, cocoa, grapes, kiwi, avocados, mangoes, hops

What it does: Mitigates tumor growth and helps prevents bacterial infections, such as UTI's

Oleocanthal

Found in: Olive oil

What it does: Has been shown to inhibit cancer cells - and has anti-inflammatory effects similiar to ibuprofen

Reference: Eating Well, January/February 2016, A World of Bitter (p. 76-77).

A World of Bitter

Did you know that there are healthy compounds lurking in the bitter foods you eat?  Let's explore and see what's lying in your foods.


Glucosinolates
Found in:  Cruciferous vegetables, like arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, kale
What it does:  Shown to prevent cancer and the progression of cancer.  One of the components of glucosinolates, sulforaphane, appears to be the tumor-fighting star of the show.

Isoflavones
Found in: Soybeans and soy products like tofu and tempeh
What it does: Soy may not strike you as a bitter food, but two of the components of isoflavones - genistein and daidzein - read as subtly bitter to our taste buds and may explain why soy tastes bad to some people.  Isoflavones have been linked to a lower risk of breast and prostate cancer and improvements in blood and oxygen flow and bone density.

Chlorogenic Acids
Found in: Coffee, black tea
What it does: Reduces inflammation - the kind caused from chronic stressors, from lack of sleep to smoking - and may lower risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.

Catechins
Found in: Black and green teas, chocolate cocoa, grapes, red wine
What it does: May prevent heart disease as well as lung and prostate cancer. It also keeps "bad" LDL cholesterol down.

Reference:  Eating Well, January/February 2016, A World of Bitter, (p.76-77).