Live, Move, Grow: Lesson Sense of Taste

Our sense of taste is one of the five senses that we use to experience the world around us. It allows us to enjoy the flavors of our food, and it can also help us to identify different substances. In this book, we will explore the many ways that we use our sense of taste, and we will learn about the different taste buds that we have.

Live Move Grow Lesson 5: Sense of Taste

by Jennifer Ward

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1011 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	26 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

Taste Buds

Taste buds are small, mushroom-shaped structures that are located on the tongue, the roof of the mouth, and the back of the throat. Each taste bud contains several taste cells, which are the actual cells that detect taste. Taste cells are sensitive to different chemicals, and they send signals to the brain that tell us what we are tasting.

There are five basic tastes that we can detect: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami. Sour tastes are caused by acids, sweet tastes are caused by sugars, salty tastes are caused by salts, bitter tastes are caused by alkaloids, and umami tastes are caused by glutamates. Different parts of the tongue are more sensitive to different tastes. For example, the tip of the tongue is more sensitive to sweet tastes, while the back of the tongue is more sensitive to bitter tastes.

How We Taste

When we eat something, the chemicals in the food dissolve in our saliva. These chemicals then bind to the taste receptors on our taste buds. The taste receptors send signals to the brain, which tells us what we are tasting. The brain also uses information from our other senses, such as smell and sight, to help us to identify the flavor of the food.

Activities

Here are some fun activities that you can do to learn more about your sense of taste:

• Taste test: Try different foods and drinks to see how they taste. Can you identify the different tastes?
• Taste bud map: Use a cotton swab to apply different tastes to different parts of your tongue. See which parts of your tongue are most sensitive to each taste.
• Food experiment: Cook a meal and experiment with different flavors. See how different ingredients can change the taste of the food.

Fun Facts

• The average person has about 10,000 taste buds.
• Taste buds can regenerate themselves every 10 days.
• Some animals have a much better sense of taste than humans. For example, dogs can taste things that are 10,000 times more bitter than humans can.
• The sense of taste is closely linked to the sense of smell. When you eat something, the chemicals in the food travel to your nose and bind to receptors in your olfactory bulb. This helps you to identify the flavor of the food.
• The sense of taste can change over time. As we get older, our taste buds become less sensitive, and we may not be able to taste certain flavors as well as we used to.

Our sense of taste is a complex and fascinating sense that allows us to experience the world around us in a unique way. By understanding how our sense of taste works, we can appreciate the flavors of our food and learn more about the world around us.

Live Move Grow Lesson 5: Sense of Taste

by Jennifer Ward

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1011 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	26 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE