Researchers have identified the neurons in our brain that respond to sweet and bitter tastes, and studies have shown that our preference for sweet tastes is stronger than other tastes. Neurons in our gut environment also play a role in sensing the types of food we eat.
Our food preference and seeking behavior are driven by the signals sent from the gustatory, olfactory, and somatosensory system, which determine whether we find it attractive, repulsive or nonchalant towards it.
Our taste system sends information to the insular cortex to provide us with a sense of what we've ingested and whether it tastes good or not. The insular cortex is responsible for our perception of what's going on inside our body and is activated by specific sets of neurons that respond to certain tastes.
Researchers have identified the neurons in the brain that respond to sweet and bitter tastes, and have found that sweet tastes activate specific sweet neurons in the mouth and the brain. Studies have also shown that subjects prefer sweet tastes to other tastes, and can be made to perceive sweet tastes even when drinking bitter water.
Neurons in the gut respond to the chemistry and mechanics of food, triggering the release of dopamine in the brain and leading to a subconscious signal about the quality of the food being eaten.