Have you ever wondered why you hated a particular type of food when you were young but now, just eat everything that is on your plate? This happens because of your changing or evolving palate. Babies have different taste preferences compared to adults that’s why babies are given baby food according to their needs and taste preference. But still, it’s important to introduce variations of taste to a child especially in their growing years. Check out this baby items checklist for other stuff you may need to help your babies enhance their taste.
Why We have Sensitive Taste?
Whether you believe it or not, we’re born with over 10000 taste buds in our mouths with majority of them lying on the surface of the tongue. Those buds are enclosed in the papillae or the little bumps sticking out of the tongue when you check it in the mirror. And within those buds are around 50 to 100 cells; each has receptor that is capable of detecting whether or not you are eating and then, send that data to your brain.
As we begin to age, our taste buds become less and less and those we’ve become less sensitive as nerves that are sending taste signals to our hypothalamus have now worn out. Thus, that strange taste you have when you were young is not sending as many strong signals to the brains as you reach adulthood.
Not only that, scientists might have discovered some children to have genetic predisposition to show more sensitivity in bitterness in some foods.
Recapturing Loss Taste Nerves
But this does not mean that these so-called sensitive tasters will not be able to taste that lost sense. Taste is basically comprised of not just those small taste buds but also, by other elements like:
- Temperature
- Texture
- Smell and
- Psychology
By the time that our minds are tuned at mealtime, it makes our digestive process to be 30% to 40% less effective in breaking down foods we consume. As you practice mindful eating, it can help not just in teaching you to savor the distinctive flavors and textures in foods eaten but also, the practice itself can help in reducing gas, constipation and bloating.
Why Eat Slowly?
By eating slowly, you are able to inhale deeply, draw a more aromatic molecule into your olfactory receptors in upper portion of the nose. In turn, they are sending more stimulation to your pleasure centers in the brain.