Bitter herbs provide exactly what we often lack in our modern diet - the bitter taste. The bitter taste is not always pleasant, but it is important for digestion and among the healthiest things we can eat.
Perhaps our sugar consumption has outcompeted bitterness. We don't naturally choose the bitter taste and it's not that easy to find in the grocery store. Bitter flavors are found in leaves like arugula, spinach, endive. In the past, when we lived as gatherers, we ate a wide variety of wild plants. That gave us the bitter taste naturally. And that created a rich gut flora with a wide variety of microbes. Comparisons between the gut flora of modern humans and people who live in a more traditional way show that modern diets provide a limited amount of good bacteria in the intestines ( SVTplay "The Gold in Our Guts" ).
Today it is trendy to use wild plants in cooking and it allows us to take advantage of a wider range of bitter flavors and nutrients. It is exciting to spice up a salad with dandelion and top it with sorrel. Burdock root is a delicacy, and there are many more roots to discover. Nettle is starting to gain hero status and can be eaten in different ways throughout the season.
For the bitter taste to have a good effect on the stomach, we need to experience the bitter taste in our mouth. If it is difficult to absorb the bitter taste in food, you can take it in the form of tincture drops . Örtfabrikens Happy Bitters contains several of the most important bitter herbs and is an easy way to add these to your diet daily. The drops are taken before meals or, if necessary, afterwards. Try a couple of bitter herbs in a glass of water or juice, in mineral water or a cup of tea. Or drop them directly into your mouth.
You can also do it a little more elegantly, like the Italians, and have an Aperitivo before your meal. Here's a way to make life easier to digest:
Happy Bitters Spritz
- 2 glasses
- Aperol 1 dl
- Club Soda 0.5 dl
- Prosecco 2 dl
- 20 drops of Örtfabrikens Happy Bitters
