What ’s the Best Way to Get Rid of a Bad Aftertaste?

Ordering a dish loaded with garlic or onions can be a commitment. The flavors can linger on the tongue long after a meal is over, no matter how many breath mints you pop. But what actually causes a bad aftertaste — and is there any way to get rid of it? Cordelia Running, director of the Saliva, Perception, Ingestion and Tongues (SPIT) lab at Purdue University, says that aftertastes are generally caused by “little bits of the actual flavor stimuli that might hang around”: physical remnants of food that get caught in the mouth, for example, or molecules that remain in the saliva or mucus. Potent foods, such as garlic and onions, may cause an even lengthier aftertaste because molecules associated with their taste and scent can get into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, Running explains. Once they’re in the blood, the substances “can ooze out through the fluids between your cells,” Running says, getting into saliva and sweat and potentially contributing to a lasting taste or smell. The compounds are also passed up through the lungs and throat before exiting through the mouth, another way they can contribute to aftertaste. The substances are so pervasive that pregnant women’s amniotic fluid may even smell different after they eat garlic, research shows. Raw, chopped garlic and onions are the worst offenders, Running says. “When you smash something like garlic or onions, you damage the cells,” she explains. &#...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition Source Type: news