Open Taste and Closed Taste Determination in Human Design
Updated: 11 hours ago
Taste Determination: How You Digest Food, Information, and Life
I have a friend with Closed Taste Determination and she had a great example of this. One of her go-to foods changed and she could taste it! She could tell a subtle ingredient differnece. That's how keen her tongue is! She could taste that the product formulation changed so she wrote to the company to find out why. The company sent her what they had of the old formulation.
Your Determination variable is often referred to as your human design digestion type. If you're new to Human Design's Primary Health System (PHS), I recommend reading my overview of six Human Design Determination types, where I explain how each of them influences digestion and the way we take in food and information.
I'm Kelly, a Registered Dietitian and also a human design analyst. I use a functional nutrition approach to uncover root causes of health struggles rather than chasing and treating symptoms.
The insights shared in this blog are intended to spark curiousity and self-reflection. This information is not meant to diagnose, treat, or replace medical advice.
What is Determination in Human Design?
Determination is the specific way your body takes in food and information. It's connected to digestion and your brain's cognitive potential. Determination is linked to your Design Sun and Design Earth gates.
Following your Determination will promote proper digestion and can therefore optimize cognitive abilities. Eating in the way that's aligned with your body will provide it with essential nutrients that support brain function and ultimately nurture your inherent talents.
Determination is dependent on being in the correct Environment in order to properly take in food and information.
I encourage you to experiment with your Determination. Because this is an experiment, move as slowly or quickly as you need to. It can take a few months to feel a difference, and as you decondition your design, you will notice more of a preference to follow your Determination. Enjoy the ride!
Find Your Human Design Determination Here
If you don't know your Determination, look it up with my nutriton-focused bodygraph chart. NOTE: to ensure your Determination is accurate, an exact birth time is required.
Where is Determination Located in Your Human Design Chart?
Determination comes from the top left variable (aka: arrow) on your human design chart. The circle represents "Color" and Determination is the Color within this specific variable.
Eating according to your Determination can accelerate deconditioning, helping your design come “online” to its fullest potential!
Color 2 Taste is Splenic Binary
Each Color is grounded in one of the awareness Centers - Spleen, Ajna, or Solar Plexus.
Taste is interpreted by the Spleen, which is about instincts, intuition, well-being, and survival. This means your instincts keep you in the body and guide your food choices. It’s spontaneously following the body’s signals. If you don't like the taste, don’t eat. This absolutely aligns with the principles of intuitive eating, where the goal is to connect with your body's signals for hunger and fullness rather than relying on external food rules.
What is Taste Determination in Human Design?
Taste Determination in Human Design is about selection with exploration. With this Determination, you are very affected by your mouth and taste buds.
Taste is a second Color connected to the Spleen. It is rigid and your sense of taste is an important guide when it comes to what you choose to eat. If something doesn’t taste good to you, stay away from it.
Taste, Chewing, and Savoring Food
With Taste Determination, it's important to chew every bite as long as possible. Keep the taste of food in your mouth and in contact with your tongue for as long as you can.
There are two positive consequences to this. First, you get to enjoy the food's flavor for much longer. Second, as you chew, salivary enzymes start breaking down food which begins the digestive process. This sensory and digestive information also helps signal the body to prepare for digestion further down the digestive tract, including the stomach and pancreas.
This tongue/taste process has an analytical capacity. When you chew as long as possible, this allow your tongue to have contact with the "content" of what you're chewing on. Doing this gives more detailed information to the parts of the brain responsible for starting the body's naturally digestive process.
If you don’t chew very long or eat very quickly, you may find yourself taking bite after bite because you're trying to continue experiencing the taste. This could lead to overeating simply because you're not giving yourself enough time to savor what's already in your mouth.
Taste is always related to Joy. This is about enjoying the experience of food and allowing yourself to fully experience its flavor.
Also, portion doesn’t matter. Just a small bite may be enough to give your tongue the pleasure and taste it wants. It doesn’t have to be a large portion to fully experience a flavor.
So, slow down. Chew. Taste. Explore. Enjoy.
What is Open Taste in Human Design?
Open Taste is when the variable points to the LEFT. A left-facing variable is a strategic mind and active brain. It represents structure and consistency. It’s about taking action, creating structure, and being disciplined with eating. Having a focus is everything with this variable. You're great at remembering dates, details, and specifics of what it is you're focused on.
"If you are a strategic mind, your inner Authority is your greatest ally because sooner or later, it is going to identify for you that focus." - Ra Uru Hu
An active brain may require you to eat more frequently, especially prior to doing heavy thinking, such as before studying, taking a class, or a client session.
Open Taste means you are designed to be open to trying a food once and if you figure out it's not right for you, you stay away from it. You are very affected by the mouth and taste buds and process your sense of taste, literally and metaphorically, to know if it’s correct for you or not.
What Open Taste May Look Like in Everyday Life
Open Taste can come across as a “picky eater.” It’s aligned to be Open to a food until you aren’t. For example, on a buffet, take a little bit and then smell it to determine if you want to eat it. Listen to your body and trust yourself. Don’t force yourself to eat new things if you don’t want to.
Enjoy experimenting with different flavors, cuisines, and even environments. Allow yourself to change foods seasonally and eat what is fresh and in season at the time. Go to your local farmers market or grocery store to see what’s in season.
What is Closed Taste in Human Design?
Closed Taste is when the variable points to the RIGHT. A right-facing variable is a receptive mind and passive brain. It enjoys freedom, flow, and less structure in eating. You take in the peripheral and see the big picture. You struggle remembering details, but you remember the feeling and the bigger essence of something.
With Closed Taste, you are designed to be selective in the way you eat. You are very affected by the mouth and taste buds, where you process your sense of taste, literally and metaphorically, to know if it’s correct for you or not.
This is a picky and rigid eating preference. It's very narrow and selective and you're designed to be discerning when it comes to what you eat. At times, you may not even be willing to taste the food. The body just knows you don’t want it. You know what you like and what you don’t like so listen to your body and trust yourself. Don’t force yourself to eat new things if you don’t want to.
What Closed Taste May Look Like in Everyday Life
You may find you enjoy the same foods over and over and likely have your go-to foods. It’s ok to taste a small bite of food before you eat the entire thing, so you know if it’s right for you or not. Figure out the few things that align with your Taste and stay with them and ignore the rest.
If you were to taste new foods, try out seasonal foods. Eat local. Go to your local farmers market or grocery store to see what’s in season.
Just like you're closed with your food preferences, consider where else in your life you tend to be closed about things. You have a very refined palate and your sense of “taste” can even show up in your clothing choices, design eye, who you like to learn from, and how you like to learn. You know what you like and don’t like. Trust that.
Open Taste vs Closed Taste: What's the Difference?
What Does Taste Determination Mean for Nutrition?
Taste is an important part of your relationship with food. If you are a parent of a child with Closed Taste, don't blame yourself if they are a picky eater. Your child came into this world with a brain that is just more rigid about trying new foods. Also keep in mind, research says children need 8 to 15 exposures to a single new food before your child will willingly taste or accept it, so don't give up on a new food. Please read these proven strategies for a picky eater.
Savor the Flavor with Taste Determination
Are you overeating something because you’re not savoring the flavor?
Try taking a smaller bite and chewing it for as long as possible. Notice the taste, texture, and how the flavor changes as you chew. You may discover that the pleasure you were looking for was already present in the bite you had.
Within Human Design, Taste is associated with gathering and exploring what is available, including seasonal foods.
In my experience talking to people with Taste Determination, these are very common food behavior tendencies:
You will have a specific preference about a specific food, such as only enjoying a very specific pizza type and brand and nothing different.
Closed Taste could tell when a brand changed their formulation and this person wrote to the company to find out why and the company sent her what they had left of the old formulation.
The Role of Neutrinos in Human Design Determination
For the human design mechanics nerds, this explains what's happening at this level. The neutrino frequency enters the body through the brain. If you’re connected to your body (by following your Strategy & Authority), the freuqency is picked up by your Cognition (Tone), then it moves to Determination (Color), and from there, that’s the exit frequency into the line of the gate.
When you’re in alignment, the true Tone and therefore the true Color will be picked up. If you’re not in alignment, you won't even have access to your Cognition, and transference of Color can occur. If you are eating in transference, your brain won’t operate.
Embodiment Questions for Your Determination
Are you conditioned that it's bad to be picky? Do you eat foods to be polite even when your body says no? Many people spend years following diets that disconnect them from their natural eating style. If you've been frustrated by traditional dieting approaches, you may also enjoy my article on using Human Design for personalized weight loss.
What past experiences come to mind with this eating pattern?
As a child, what felt natural to you with eating before "rules" or comments from caretakers interrupted that?
What are some examples (maybe from childhood) you can remember when you used to eat for your “true Determination?” Describe the experience.
List something(s) from your Determination you want to start experimenting with.
Something to observe: After you eat a meal or food according to your Determination, how does your body feel 10-30 minutes later?
Something to observe: If you don’t eat a meal or food according to your Determination, how does your body feel 10-30 minutes later?
Taste Determination is just one piece of your Personal Health System (PHS). If you'd like a deeper understanding of how your body is designed to digest food and information, explore my guide to all six Determination types.
Are you interested in learning more about your PHS? Book a reading with me. I'd love to help you.
Warm regards,
Kelly
Frequently Asked Questions About Taste Determination
What is Taste Determination in Human Design?
Taste Determination is one of the six Determination types in Human Design's Primary Health System (PHS). It is associated with Color 2, Taste, and is described as a way of taking in food and information through the sensory experience of taste. Taste Determination emphasizes selection and exploration, with the mouth and taste buds playing an important role in discerning what you like and don't like.
Does Taste Determination tell me what foods I should eat?
Not exactly. Taste Determination can give you a framework for becoming more aware of your food preferences and how you experience taste, but it doesn't prescribe a specific list of foods you should eat. Everyone with Taste Determination will have a different experience with it. Think of Taste Determination as an opportunity to experiment and observe, rather than another set of food rules.
How do I find my Taste Determination?
Taste Determination is found in the top left variable of your Human Design chart. The Color in this variable represents your Determination. If your Color is 2, you have Taste Determination. You can use a Human Design chart that provides your PHS information to find these details. Find your Determination here. An accurate birth time is important when calculating your chart.
Is Closed Taste the same as being a picky eater?
Not necessarily. Within the Human Design framework, Closed Taste is associated with being selective and having refined preferences around food. You may naturally prefer familiar foods, have specific preferences, or know quickly when something doesn't appeal to you. This could look like “picky eating” from the outside, but being selective isn't inherently a problem. What matters nutritionally is whether your overall food choices provide adequate nourishment for your individual needs.
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