Many parents struggle with the narrow palette of their children who far prefer sugary snacks to bitter vegetables. As children become adults, though our palettes have broadened, that nagging voice “Eat your vegetables” rings in our ears. The memory of that baggy of raw broccoli, celery, or carrots packed in school lunches, and the soggy steamed broccoli, green beans, and kale or brussels sprouts for dinner leaves a proverbial bitter aftertaste. 

Despite, the widely available information regarding diets of bitter vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals, used in disease prevention, the average American diet lacks these vegetables. Some even argue that the aversion to bitter vegetables is hard wired, not only from childhood, but as an evolutionary method, as many poisons in the wild are bitter in taste.

 

However, one recent study, which took place in a Midwest University cafeteria showed a potential solution to this nutritional deficit. The study reports that significantly more people purchase well seasoned vegetables over plain steamed, “Recipes were developed by culinary experts to tailor towards the characteristic of each vegetable” and the outcomes were abundantly clear. Participants chose larger serving sizes of green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower (bitter and astringent vegetables) when seasoned.”

Seasoning your bitter vegetables is not a new concept in Ayurveda, because bitter foods tend to be cooling in nature. Defined by the elements, air and either, bitter foods also tend to be drying on bodily tissues (read: crisp raw salads). They are evenly balanced by salty, sour, and pungent, the warming tastes and are cooked using methods of preparation with adequate moisture. This usually makes them much more appealing to the taste. Try a recipes provided in this course to bring a liking to bitter taste.