Hating vegetables, loving cold coffee

Abstract

Bitter gets better The end of January is traditionally when people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. But Newscripts is hanging in there, staring down a plate of—what is that, kale?—in pursuit of that holy grail of healthfulness, the plant-based diet. One good reason to carry on, cruciferously, is that humans can overcome their instinct to turn away from bitter foods over time. In short, it gets better. Routine exposure can even foment a love for bitter flavors such as dark chocolate, hoppy beer, and even leafy greens. Researchers want to know how we acquire a taste for bitter food compounds like healthy polyphenols in plants. One secret may be in our saliva. Studies by Cordelia Running, a professor of nutrition and food science at Purdue University, suggest proteins in our saliva change over time in ways that may alter how those foods taste. Running conducts human taste experiments at her