There is a lot of hype about aloe vera’s health benefits, but not many people talk about what aloe vera taste like, not the store-bought juice that maybe has some sweeteners, flavoring, or sugars but the actual aloe vera plant.
Also, the hype is way over the line of actual evidence and studies that confirm the insane benefits that many people claim. Of course, they are affiliates of some companies that sell aloe vera juice, but this is another story.
If, after reading this article, you will not be convinced that you want to try aloe vera, you should not worry about all those health benefits you miss. They are most likely just hype.
In this article, I will try to describe the taste of aloe vera as best as I can, but of course, it differs from person to person, I will also try to explain how you are supposed to eat aloe vera.
What does aloe vera taste like?
Aloe vera has a bitter, grassy taste with a bit of sour aftertaste. The taste is not pleasant at all, some people say that it is milder, but I guess it can differ from one plant to another and where they were grown, and so on.
It is hard to really enjoy eating aloe vera. I saw someone explaining the taste of aloe vera like orange juice after brushing your teeth but a bit worse.
The taste of aloe vera juice that you will find in supermarkets is much better since it has a really small amount of aloe vera and a lot of sugar and other ingredients.
Also, the taste of aloe vera gel that many companies are selling as a “wonderful” drink will not be as bad as the aloe vera itself, but it will not be as good as the juice that you find in supermarkets because they will have a much higher amount of aloe vera in them.
If you know you are a sensitive person, and a strong bitter, tasting plant is not your thing, you better avoid eating raw aloe vera plant if you don’t want to end up vomiting. There is a real risk of that.
How to eat aloe vera?
The easiest way to eat aloe vera gel is to cut the leaves length-wise and cut the tips as well, then you can scoop the gel out with a spoon.
You should wash the aloe vera leaves very well, and you can wash the gel as well after scooping it out. Otherwise, the thin yellow layer between the skin and the gel is called latex and has serious laxative side effects. So you must double-check that you got rid of it after washing the aloe vera gel.
Can you eat aloe vera skin?
The aloe vera skin is edible and is used in many aloe vera products, but the skin’s taste will be even more bitter than the aloe vera gel. So, you can eat the skin, but do you want it?
Also, as I said before, you should be more careful when eating the skin than the gel since the latex will stick to the skin. If you still want to eat the skin, make sure you wash it very well on the inside part to get rid of the latex.
How to make it taste better?
There are a few ways to make aloe vera gel much more bearable, but it depends on what you want to achieve by eating it. If you are on a diet and believe that aloe vera gel will help you, maybe some of the ways that I will list below will not suit you since they add calories and carbs to the mix.
-Add some acid taste. By adding something like lemon or orange juice, you will cover the bitter taste of aloe vera and neutralize it a bit, so you can make lemonade in which you add the aloe vera juice if you want to enjoy it.
-Make a smoothie. Making a smoothie with your favorite fruits and vegetables and some aloe vera gel will make it a pleasure to be consumed.
-Make a fruit juice with aloe vera. You can make an apple or cranberry juice with aloe vera. I recommend using less than 50% of aloe vera from the total amount of fruits you use to make the juice.
-Honey and lemon juice. You can add some honey and lemon juice to your aloe vera gel and mix them together.
You got the idea, you can mix aloe vera gel with almost anything, but it should be something with a strong taste to be able to cover the bitterness from the aloe vera gel.
Read Also: Can You Eat Basil Stems?
Conclusion
I hope now you have a good idea of what to expect when eating aloe vera. The advertising always sounds better than the truth, so you should not have high expectations about what it tastes like or the amazing health benefits many companies will claim.
I don’t want to discourage you from trying the aloe vera, but it is better to have the right expectation. It is a plant with a lot of nutrients, but other sources of nutrients will have a much better taste than aloe vera.
