Taster's choice: The science of loving lunch
By Sarah Everts

OTTAWA — Why people dig or ditch what's on their plate is much more than a matter of taste.

Genetics makes some people so sensitive to bitter foods that it's painful to taste broccoli — or even sip beer.

Some taste preferences are fashioned in the womb, when a mother exposes the fetus to her food favourites. But if you’re worried your likes and dislikes are set for life, take heart: peer pressure and exposure to new cuisine can also change your mind.

Then there’s your brain: subconscious preferences can develop when a new flavour is paired with its consequent health effect — such as providing energy or an essential mineral.

‘You are what you eat’ is being recast as researchers uncover that what you eat mirrors who you are — genetically, physically, historically and socially.

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