Are you a Supertaster?

One thing to note -- the name "supertaster" is a bit misleading. Some of my wino friends seem to think that being a supertaster means they have better perception of all flavors, but in reality it's mostly an enhanced ability to detect bitterness and fattiness in foods and drinks. That's not necessarily a positive thing as it means the so-called supertasters will find some foods and drinks unappealing that "normal" tasters find quite enjoyable. Many veggies are a big problem for supertasters as they're too bitter to swallow. Same with coffee and certain other beverages.

Wikipedia has a good and easily understood article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

If you're really interested in finding out whether you're a "super taster," you can get a simple test kit from this outfit for $5: http://supertastertest.com/
 
Based on this excerpt from the Wiki article that Doug linked above, nope, I'm definitely NOT a supertaster! Thank heavens! A world where I wouldn't enjoy olives, coffee and beer????

Lee

Problem Foods
As a whole, supertasters are less likely to enjoy and thus consume certain foods, although individual supertasters can certainly enjoy and consume these foods. Documented examples for either lessened preference or consumption include:
Other foods may also show altered patterns of preference and consumption, but only indirect evidence exists:
 
QSis said:
Based on this excerpt from the Wiki article that Doug linked above, nope, I'm definitely NOT a supertaster! Thank heavens! A world where I wouldn't enjoy olives, coffee and beer????

Lee

Problem Foods
As a whole, supertasters are less likely to enjoy and thus consume certain foods, although individual supertasters can certainly enjoy and consume these foods. Documented examples for either lessened preference or consumption include:
Other foods may also show altered patterns of preference and consumption, but only indirect evidence exists:
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Wow. I never thought about it before, but based on that list, I *am* a supertaster. I don't enjoy red wine or beer, or dry white wines like Chardonnay, and I have to have at least 1 tbsp. of sugar and flavored creamer in my coffee. The only olives I like are the oil-cured ones. I eat Brussels sprouts occasionally, but only roasted, and I don't like cooked leaves, including spinach, kale, cabbage, etc.

I'll have capers and white or pink wine instead :tongue:

I've read that salt counters the bitter flavors in foods, and I'm definitely a saltaholic! :mrgreen:
 
QSis said:
Based on this excerpt from the Wiki article that Doug linked above, nope, I'm definitely NOT a supertaster! Thank heavens! A world where I wouldn't enjoy olives, coffee and beer????

Lee

Problem Foods
As a whole, supertasters are less likely to enjoy and thus consume certain foods, although individual supertasters can certainly enjoy and consume these foods. Documented examples for either lessened preference or consumption include:
Other foods may also show altered patterns of preference and consumption, but only indirect evidence exists:
Click to expand...
I like all of those things, except grapefruit juice (what's the point?) and kale (don't mind the taste but I find it hard to digest, which gives me a mild case of diverticulitis).
 
it is misleading about supertasters, fry. your reply was well stated.

i'm pretty sure i'm not one. i remember napoleon (at the old site) sort of backhandly insulting me by trying to say i was not a supertaster since i love hot food. i replied that fewer people are truely supertasters that think they are, mostly because it sounds like a good thing to be so they just assume it for ego sakes.

so, flood my tastebud trap doors with capsaicin and let the calcium ions in!!!

btw, i love grapefruit juice :doh: the same way kids love sour candy.
 
buckytom said:
it is misleading about supertasters, fry. your reply was well stated.

i'm pretty sure i'm not one. i remember napoleon (at the old site) sort of backhandly insulting me by trying to say i was not a supertaster since i love hot food. i replied that fewer people are truely supertasters that think they are, mostly because it sounds like a good thing to be so they just assume it for ego sakes.

so, flood my tastebud trap doors with capsaicin and let the calcium ions in!!!

btw, i love grapefruit juice :doh: the same way kids love sour candy.
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Same thing with my wino pals who act as if this is a blessing rather than a curse -- "I'm a supertaster so obviously my opinions are more important than yours; you can't taste as well as I do." Nonsense. It's not like Superman's X-Ray vision or super hearing or ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
 
I may actually be one based on that list. I do not like salty food and although I have learned to eat the healthy greens, I do not really like them. I also notice a saltiness in certain wines that I find very disagreeable but some wines I use to be able to tolerate. I like grapefruit juice but I sometimes get a bitter aftertaste from it. I wouldn't be surprised if I am because I am sensitive to so many foods, drugs, soaps and skincare products.

Edited to add: I do love pie and ice cream ;-)
 
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I dunno if I am or not.
Not a fan of salty or sour, am pretty sure have extra umami buds, and
have become a chilihead in the past couple of years.
I taste fine, that's good enough for me! LOLOL
 
:yum::yum::yum: Who else has a blue tongue now??? After reading the Wiki that FryBoy posted - I couldn't help myself. I had to try the blue food coloring. I think I must be a supertaster since my tongue has a lot of the pink taste buds like the picture on Wikipedia.
 

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Here's a link to an excellent article on "supertasters" from the Summer 2004 issue of the Yale Scientific Magazine: http://ysm.research.yale.edu/article.jsp?articleID=77

A couple of paragraphs from the article provide an excellent summary of the condition and make it quite clear that there's nothing "super" about being a so-called "supertaster":
Thus, supertasters tend to experience more intense sensations from fat, irritants, and other foods. How does this affect their dietary preferences? Bartoshuk asserts that supertasters tend to find the taste world too strong. Consequently, they dislike a number of foods, making themselves more susceptible to health risks in the long run. For example, they eat less fruits and vegetables that contain bitter-tasting flavonoids. Since flavonoids are thought to play a role in preventing colon cancer, supertasters are more at risk for colon cancer.

At the same time, supertasters dislike and avoid fatty and sweet foods. They thus tend to be thinner and have a lower risk for cardiovascular disease. Additionally, medium and supertasters have a lower occurrence of alcohol- and smoking-addiction due to unpleasant oral sensations from these unhealthy habits.

Supertasters have increased perception of pain and are prone to develop a pain disorder called burning mouth syndrome. In this disorder, taste and pain are not just anatomically associated in the periphery but also closely associated in the brain. Normally, taste inhibits oral pain, a mechanism to ensure that animals obtain proper nutrition. For example, if an animal develops a tongue lesion due to malnutrition but does not eat, it could die, but as soon as the animal starts to eat, the pain vanishes. Conversely, if taste is damaged and the related pain inhibition disappears, the brain turns on the pain centers for the mouth. Thus, a supertaster with severe damage to taste can have spontaneous pain on the tongue without an apparent reason.
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I think a lot of people who are health conscious learn to overcome their dislikes of certain foods in an effort to be healthy. It is how I learned to eat a lot of foods that I originally disliked. However, I was tested and have many food sensitivities and might be able to get by eating a food here or there but never any of them in combination.
 
GotGarlic said:
Just wanted to mention, I sent for the supertaster test kit yesterday (I needed to set up a Paypal account to get it and got lazy). Should be interesting :smile:
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Oh EXCELLENT!!!

Lee

LOL to your post to BT! Where ARE his apron pictures????
 
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