The key to a thinner physique may lie in how sensitive one is to bitter compounds found in broccoli and other foods.
Researchers conducted a study on nearly 50 women, all of whom were in their 40s, and found that those tested were either sensitive to bitter tastes (super tasters) or not (nontasters). According to the study, super tasters were 20 percent thinner than nontasters.
In order to measure one's body-mass index (BMI), weight is measured relative to height. A BMI of 25 and above is considered overweight, while 30 or above is dubbed obese.
In the study, researchers calculated the average BMI from each taste group of women:
It was also discovered that nontasters tend to like sweeter, hotter and more bitter foods, which correspond to foods high in fat. If nontasters continue to follow this dietary style, they will eventually suffer from a higher body weight.
Even studies of preschoolers showed that nontaster children preferred full-fat milk to low-fat milk and ate more added fats like butter and salad dressing.
Super tasters, on the other hand, tend to eat less food altogether, whether the foods are high in fat or healthy.
In order to discover which taste category one falls into, researchers use a chemical known as PROP. This chemical is similar to compounds that make foods taste bitter. Through the PROP method, researchers are able to gauge how sensitive one is to bitter tastes. Researchers who support this PROP method claim to have found that those who perceive PROP as more bitter are significantly thinner. These researchers have also reported that super tasters generally have more papillae, the tiny bumps on the tongue that hold taste buds.
Conversely, critics of the PROP method simply do not see the connection between the findings and body size. Such researchers claim that people who are turned off by bitter tastes may not dislike bitter foods like chocolate and coffee, because milk and other sweet flavors hide the taste.
USA Today October 29, 2004
In a previous newsletter, I wrote how people are born with more sensitive taste buds than others, or super tasters. However, it seems that research has gone a bit further to link the preference of one's taste buds and the obesity epidemic.
However, it is important to remember that your taste buds may not be the best indicators of what foods are good for your body. Many people, especially those who are overweight, have developed a link between their taste buds and their brain that cause their body to produce insulin the moment they eat anything sweet.
This can hurt weight loss efforts because you will keep on having cravings for sugar and grains. The good news is that you can reeducate your taste buds. This is simply a matter of "cleaning" your palate of grains to eliminate your body's learned response to sugar. Once your palate is cleared of grains, you'll notice that foods will taste better than ever.
A great way to help you overcome your food cravings is through the energy psychology tool Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Remember, there is almost always an emotional component to food cravings. And while most people are able to find success in overcoming their physical addiction, they are still left with the emotional addiction.
This technique will eliminate negative emotions that sabotage health and replace them with positives. You can use my free EFT manual to learn this technique, or you can seek assistance from my EFT Series on DVD or VHS.
Though curbing your cravings is essential, understanding your nutritional type is equally important when losing weight. Learning your nutritional type will help you get started on an eating plan that is right for you (and your taste buds).
Just as you are unique in all other respects to anyone else, your body has a unique biochemistry requiring both certain proportions and types of healthy carbohydrates, fats and proteins that differs from other peoples' requirements.
nutritional typing is similar to each individual's taste buds: What may be right for others is not necessarily right for you, and vice-versa.
If you are interested in learning more about my dietary program including nutritional typing, I suggest you read my book, TOTAL HEALTH Program, which contains over 150 Delicious Grain-Free Recipes & Proven nutritional type Plan to prevent disease, optimize weight and live longer.
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