Saturday, August 10, 2013

6 Fun Little Facts About Taste Buds


I really hate when I burn my tongue. My tongue seems to take forever to heal, and it kills the taste of food for awhile. I came across some fun little facts about our taste buds that I just had to share with you. 

6 Fun things to know about your taste buds:

1. The bumps on your tongue are not taste buds. Some of your taste buds are inside those little bumps. 
Your taste buds are also on the roof of your mouth and in your throat. 

2. Everyone has a different amount of taste buds. Some people have up to 10,000 taste buds and they 
are called "Super Tasters". 

3. There is a difference between Taste and Flavor. 
Taste is what your taste buds pick up. They are sweet, sour, bitter and salty . Flavor is a combination of taste plus smell.

4 . Your tastes for different foods can change. 
Did you know that if you eat something you love and then get sick with a stomache bug, you can have an aversion for that food for a long time? If you hated broccoli as a child and love it as an adult, it could be because it was cooked differently. Sometimes adding cheese or certain spices can bring out the "good" flavor to food. So maybe it's time to give those nasty brussel sprouts another try. 

5. Ohhh the hormones!!
Pregnant women tend to crave sweet things. When a woman is pregnant, her taste buds change. Part of our survival instinct kicks in. Carbs are a usual thing for pregnant women to crave. Carbs give energy. Tasting bitter in foods protects pregnant women from things that could be poisonous, and protect the baby. See, it's ok to want ice cream or to suddenly hate lettuce. Our bodies are made that way. 

6. Taste buds grow back. When you burn your tongue, your taste buds grow back in a few days. So even as we get older, those lovely little taste buds keep coming back. 

21 comments:

  1. I did not know that taste buds grew back. Well, I suppose I assumed it but I did not know it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, an interesting post. I did not know taste buds were on the roof of the mouth...I love learning new things :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I did not know that my taste buds are on the roof of my mouth and in my throat. I thought they were on my tongue! Wow this is great to know!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I did not know that flavor is a combination of taste and smell. Must be why I hate brussel sprouts!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow. I thought I new a lot but I guess not. I didn't know that taste buds grew back. Never really thougth of it. The part of the pregnancy things was very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I didn't know that the taste buds grew back. Never thought about it either. Great informative post. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I didn't know they grew back. Learn something new everyday. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. #4 has my Husband written all over it. If he ever gets sick right after eating something...he will never touch it again. After having to change my diet due to diabetes...after 2 wks things I hated...I loved! It was very weird and cool.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I had no idea taste buds grew back, that's great! Thanks for sharing

    Tammy Dalley on rafflecopter

    ReplyDelete
  10. My daughter is a super taster lol I loved broccoli when I was pregant but couldnt stand the way it smelled

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting article. I did not know that they continued to grow back even as we aged.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting diagram! I might want to experiment with different flavors lol.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I wonder if I am a super taster. I don't think so because I do not think I taste the finer flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your tastes definitely can change. My daughter was recently very sick - not from food - but when she got better a lot of her tastes were different, too. Some things she is having to relearn what they taste like. It's very interesting how impactful those taste buds can be, and we don't even think about it.
    Sherry Compton

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's cool that the taste buds grow back. Awesome article.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I didn't know most of these facts about taste buds. Interesting article.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I always thought those bumps were taste buds. Interesting info!

    ReplyDelete
  18. i remember learning about this in girl scouts when I was little
    Andrea D

    ReplyDelete
  19. I thought taste buds were only on my tongue.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Who would've thought about this before? Especially that taste buds grew? I knew I didn't. But I actually love trivia things. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I need help with my science fair projected cause i'm doing taste buds.

    ReplyDelete