No Sense of Taste?....what are you eating?
Discussion
After getting Covid and losing my sense of taste I’ve lost my appetite and I am not interested in eating a lot of foods that I would normally guzzle down! I had roasted Mediterranean vegetables last night that I normally love but they all just tasted like a mushy tasteless mess. (Aubergines, courgettes, peppers and mushrooms).
Tonight I just need texture so I having a triple toasted bacon sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and melted cheddar. Still can’t taste anything but the texture makes it a bit more interesting.
What are you eating?
Tonight I just need texture so I having a triple toasted bacon sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and melted cheddar. Still can’t taste anything but the texture makes it a bit more interesting.
What are you eating?
I guess the first question is to establish what you can taste. Some people dealing with the aftermath of Covid can taste salt, pepper, chilli etc. If you can, then you can vary food using these things. Also, as you've identified, it's now about texture, so mix it up. Try a mixed salad, eat it with crackers or toast for a different crunch. Maybe pizza with soft and hard toppings, get the crust crunchy (maybe use a thin base).
Having had sinus issues for years I have been in this boat for years. As you say texture is the main thing, bacon sarnies are defo on the acceptable list, thinks with chilli are decent and oddly fairly mild cheese, such as wensleydale and crumbly lancashire make an acceptabke lunch.
I sometimes look at some meals and just cant even attempt.
Occasionally, usually after a dose of steroids the senses return, but its quite overpowering.
I understand sense training can be helpful to get your sense of smell going again esp after covid
I sometimes look at some meals and just cant even attempt.
Occasionally, usually after a dose of steroids the senses return, but its quite overpowering.
I understand sense training can be helpful to get your sense of smell going again esp after covid
I lost my sense of smell over eight years ago, for reasons unknown. It followed a foreign holiday so I may have caught something on the plane.
When the smell goes, invariably so does the taste. The nose and the mouth, mainly the tongue, work together to give you the full rounded flavour of the food or drink. The tongue detects sweet, sour, bitter, salt and something called umame, the nose takes care of flavour, and everything combines in the pallet to provide the taste experience. I literally couldn't tell the difference between tea and coffee but, because my tongue still works, I would know if it had sugar in it or not. I could stick my nose into a can of petrol or a jar of the strongest, most pungent spices, and smell absolutely nothing.
I can understand why people can lose their appetite: there's just no incentive to eat food, or indeed drink fine wine or whisky. There's also a strong link between anosmia (its Sunday name) and depression, especially among those who previously enjoyed their food.
I was quite lucky in that my appetite stayed more or less the same, and I tended to eat the same stuff and appreciate it by trying to remember how it tasted in the good old days. I tried experimenting with spicy things and once got an extra-strong vindaloo from the local Indian, hoping to get something out of it. All I got was a hot mouth with none of the flavour, and it was really rather unpleasant.
My advice would be eat what you used to enjoy, and try to imagine tasting it. Go for interesting textures and attractive-looking colourful food, and eat with your eyes.
The specialists told me that if my smell was lost for more than five years, it would probably never return; a year ago it did return.
When the smell goes, invariably so does the taste. The nose and the mouth, mainly the tongue, work together to give you the full rounded flavour of the food or drink. The tongue detects sweet, sour, bitter, salt and something called umame, the nose takes care of flavour, and everything combines in the pallet to provide the taste experience. I literally couldn't tell the difference between tea and coffee but, because my tongue still works, I would know if it had sugar in it or not. I could stick my nose into a can of petrol or a jar of the strongest, most pungent spices, and smell absolutely nothing.
I can understand why people can lose their appetite: there's just no incentive to eat food, or indeed drink fine wine or whisky. There's also a strong link between anosmia (its Sunday name) and depression, especially among those who previously enjoyed their food.
I was quite lucky in that my appetite stayed more or less the same, and I tended to eat the same stuff and appreciate it by trying to remember how it tasted in the good old days. I tried experimenting with spicy things and once got an extra-strong vindaloo from the local Indian, hoping to get something out of it. All I got was a hot mouth with none of the flavour, and it was really rather unpleasant.
My advice would be eat what you used to enjoy, and try to imagine tasting it. Go for interesting textures and attractive-looking colourful food, and eat with your eyes.
The specialists told me that if my smell was lost for more than five years, it would probably never return; a year ago it did return.
Edited by Plastic chicken on Friday 22 January 17:39
Lordbenny said:
After getting Covid and losing my sense of taste I’ve lost my appetite and I am not interested in eating a lot of foods that I would normally guzzle down! I had roasted Mediterranean vegetables last night that I normally love but they all just tasted like a mushy tasteless mess. (Aubergines, courgettes, peppers and mushrooms).
Tonight I just need texture so I having a triple toasted bacon sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and melted cheddar. Still can’t taste anything but the texture makes it a bit more interesting.
What are you eating?
Took about four days to get my taste back when I had it. Bad news for you, even a phaal tasted bland and flavourless.Tonight I just need texture so I having a triple toasted bacon sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and melted cheddar. Still can’t taste anything but the texture makes it a bit more interesting.
What are you eating?
At the time (March 20) we were told that the only symptoms were an unproductive persistent cough. As I had full blown cold/flu like symptoms (minus runny nose) I assumed I just had a seasonal bug and could kill it with my usual remedy of a spicy curry. My friend at the curry house just kept giving me spicier curry samples and then refused because he was concerned for my ring piece
I was lucky and had something like 20% of my taste and smell left. That isn’t enough to actually really want to eat though! Still better than nothing. I literally ate cheese on toast for 3/4 days BUT using Stilton and smothered in tobasco albeit this was more like mild cheddar and I couldn’t really distinguish the tobasco but could feel it.
Do not try the chilli thing as I can confirm from the tobasco that this is not related to taste - I may have barely tasted the tobasco but I could still feel the chilli. Do not try to eat raw scotch bonnets!
Overall the texture and it being something I like normally made it my go to food.
Do not try the chilli thing as I can confirm from the tobasco that this is not related to taste - I may have barely tasted the tobasco but I could still feel the chilli. Do not try to eat raw scotch bonnets!
Overall the texture and it being something I like normally made it my go to food.
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