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Discussion » Questions » Life and Society » Tastebuds change as you age as do many others things. What used to taste swell tastes like swill. Do you keep ingesting it anyway? Why?
RosieG

Tastebuds change as you age as do many others things. What used to taste swell tastes like swill. Do you keep ingesting it anyway? Why?

Posted - December 7, 2017
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  • 10629
    Technically, most taste occurs in the nose not the tongue (don't snort your food at the table, dear).  Having severe allergies in one's younger years can also dull taste in "later years" (and can affect hearing as well).   If one has trouble smelling fragrances or determining what they are, they probably also have a limited sense of taste.  The brain also associates smell with memory.  For example, if you always remember a rose smelling a certain way, your brain can trick you into thinking that rose you're seeing  has a fragrance even though you cannot smell (stuffed sinuses, age, etc.).  In studies, subjects who were blindfolded and had their noses plugged had a difficult time distinguishing tastes.

    Mind blow - no two people will smell the exact same odor alike.  The aroma one person smells when they smell a rose is not the same aroma as anyone else will smell when smelling the exact same rose.  Odor is unique to each individual.  The same goes with color.  We only know "colors" because we were told what they were.  Yet, no 2 people (even if standing side by side) will ever see the the color of the sky (or a fire engine) the exact color as anyone else.  What they think of as "blue" might be what you say is "green".  But since we were taught that       = green, we call it "green"  - even though to another person it may look like      .  Aren't  brains fascinating?

    At this stage of life I haven't lost much of my sense of taste (except in clothes), although they're not as acute as they once were.  But, on the bright side, I'm saving money on spices.     This post was edited by Shuhak at December 8, 2017 4:29 AM MST
      December 7, 2017 1:58 PM MST
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  • 113301

    OK m'dear. You are telling me that I really "taste" with my nose and if I am unable to distinguish odors/fragrances my tastebuds are impacted tremendously? AARRGGHH! Regarding color I've noticed that with Jim and me. He will see something as grey that I see as light blue. I always thought that was odd but now thanks to you I understand it is normal. I do know when I have a bad cold and a stuffy nose all I really like to eat is chicken soup with lots of lemon in it. I can TASTE that. So once our ability to smell is gone our tastebuds are pretty much extinct? SIGH. Not something to which I look forward. I am a FOODIE and love to cook and eat all kinds of things. I love the smells that result from it. Garlic or cinnamon or chili or curry or cilantro or whatever I'm baking or cooking or roasting or braising or poaching. I know when I was kid I loved sweets. Now I  enjoy a little but really enjoy the salty soury things more. Chips and pickles for instance. I can eat more of them than chocolate candy any day of the week. When I was a kid I wanedt to grow up fast so I could have as much candy as I wanted. Irony of it is of course that once I could eat whatever I wanted my "tastedbuds" had changed. Also I wasn't aware of "nutritious" when I was a kid.  As I matured I was very interested so that has some impact too. Thank you for your thoughtful and informative (and kinda shocking) reply Shuhak!  :)

    OO

      December 8, 2017 4:38 AM MST
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  • 10629
    It is surprising that so much of what we taste occurs through our nose.  However, taste buds still play a part.  Even if one can no longer smell good (an in sense of smell), the taste buds may still work.  That only means that the flavor wont be as robust as it once was.  Taste buds can be damaged as well.  I "burned" mine once on a piece of cinnamon candy.  For days I could only smell food as my taste buds were completely numb.
    I've heard from many people that their desire for sweets decreases with age.   I know mine has.  I used to be able to eat an entire jar of marshmallow cream in one sitting... now it takes me 2 sittings.  ;)  Even more strange is that I now like it on saltine crackers.  I would have gagged at the very thought eating it that way just 25 years ago.

    I don't enjoy cooking (or eating for that matter).  It's more of a necessity (it's either cook or starve).  However, I do love baking.  While my cooking is barely edible, my baking isn't.  When I was young my cakes always got a blue ribbon at the county fair.  Unfortunately cakes, cookies, breads and such are fattening so I don't bake that often.  Just a couple of times during the winter to warm the house up.
      December 8, 2017 9:59 AM MST
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