YOUR childhood suspicions were correct all along: food that鈥檚 good for you
often does taste bad.
Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington in Seattle says that hopes of
boosting the amount of cancer-fighting 鈥減hytonutrients鈥� in foods may be foiled
by the fact that many of these compounds taste extremely bitter. In fact, years
of selective breeding have been aimed at ridding fruits and vegetables of these
compounds, in an effort to make them more appealing to consumers, he points out
in this month鈥檚 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Foods high in phytonutrients, such as Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage, can
be cooked in ways that make them more palatable, Drewnowski says. 鈥淎 bit of
butter or olive oil masks the bitter taste.鈥�
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