Slavko Komarnytsky, PhD, from the N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute, returns to the WholisticMatters podcast series with host John Troup, PhD, to discuss mechanisms involved in the control and balance of glucose appearance in the body. Komarnytsky, a leading expert in phytonutrients and the underlying mechanisms of metabolic processes, explains that modern humans include too many carbohydrates in the diet and that the body does not know how to manage the consequences. Phytochemicals – unique compounds found in plants that are associated with various health benefits - are bitter as they present naturally in plants. But modern humans do not like bitter flavors; over time, food technologists removed bitter components to make food more palatable, more enjoyable. This led to a loss of bitter signaling in plant-based food that interacts with carbohydrate processing.