# Do adults, all of a sudden, stop liking certain foods? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066 "2007-02-13T19:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/21 "2018-03-22T23:39:57Z")
When I find I’m losing my taste for something I just stop eating it for a while - in my experience most of my dropped tastes come from having too much of the now-offending substance. I’m the sort of guy who finds what he likes and then sticks with it - making ‘overdosing’ a not infrequent occurrence. To my recollection this has never evolved into a permanent dislike, though. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/22 "2018-03-23T00:02:56Z")
Not sure if this counts, but as I got alder I stopped liking lower quality foods due to getting used to the better stuff, e.g., mass produced beer, cheap chocolate, unauthentic Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/23 "2018-03-23T00:04:25Z")
Taste changes with time. And it’s been over 11 years since this thread was started, so it’s not surprising that now people find themselves less enamoured of at least some of the foods they enjoyed in 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/24 "2018-03-23T03:41:53Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > When I find I’m losing my taste for something I just stop eating it for a while - in my experience most of my dropped tastes come from having too much of the now-offending substance. I’m the sort of guy who finds what he likes and then sticks with it - making ‘overdosing’ a not infrequent occurrence. To my recollection this has never evolved into a permanent dislike, though. I’m much the same way. I can eat something several times a week for a few years, and then I go for a few years without having any desire for it whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/25 "2018-03-23T12:10:00Z")
I used to love crab legs. I introduced them to my kids and they loved them also, so much so that they frequently asked to eat dinner at a buffet that included crab legs. Being little kids, they needed help cracking their legs, which became my job. The buffet charged extra for diners wanting crab legs. Since I was constantly busy cracking their legs, I stopped ordering them for myself; I just didn’t have the time. My kids are adults now, but I can’t remember the last time I ordered crab legs. They just seem like too much work. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/26 "2018-03-23T12:20:57Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Taste changes with time. And it’s been over 11 years since this thread was started, so it’s not surprising that now people find themselves less enamoured of at least some of the foods they enjoyed in 2007. It’s fortunate that I really, really like spaghetti, otherwise watching the opening homicide scene investigation in the movie “Seven” would’ve turned me off the stuff permanently. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/27 "2018-03-23T12:37:35Z")
Sure. Chef Boyardee is NOT the culinary genius I once thought he was. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/28 "2018-03-23T13:11:27Z")
Tick bites can carry a parasite that makes you allergic to certain proteins. Ask the Dr. to test you for Alpha-GAL allergy. > **[Alpha-gal syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy)** > > Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) (also Alpha-gal allergy; Mammalian meat allergy (MMA)) — is a type of meat allergy characterized by a delayed onset of symptoms (3–8 hours) after ingesting mammalian meat. The condition results from past exposure to certain tick bites. It was first reported in 2002. Symptoms of the allergy include rash, hives, nausea or vomiting, difficulty breathing, drop in blood pressure, dizziness or faintness and severe stomach pain. > Alpha-gal allergy is a reaction to the carbohydra... ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/29 "2018-03-23T13:24:02Z")
Am I the only one surprised by the OP? The only way it really makes sense to me is if he was eating stuff out-of-season or not fresh, since things like fruit and seafood can taste delicious when they’re fresh and in-season but awful when they’re not. In my personal experience, I have experienced a change in tastes on two occasions: (1) Growing from a child into an adult, and (2) Following a deliberate change in eating habits (in other words, if I give up sugar for a month then sugary stuff tastes awful afterwards). But as an adult, I don’t remember ever having my tastebuds change without some sort of cause prompting it. Though I go on enough diets that I guess it’s possible I could have attributed a change in taste to a diet when it didn’t actually have to do with the diet. Kind of a side note, but the oddest example in my life of changing tastes is eggnog. I loved it when I was a kid, hated it when I grew into a teenager, and then loved it again as an adult. I think it’s because as an adult I could mix it with liquor or coffee to dilute the taste, but even when I drink straight-up eggnog with nothing else it tastes good now. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/30 "2018-03-23T13:40:38Z")
I get tired of certain foods if I have them a lot. I used to love cinnamon rolls, but we’d have them every weekend, so I don’t care for them. The same with raspberries and broccoli. I don’t hate any of these, but I’d usually rather have something else. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/31 "2018-03-23T14:08:21Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Tick bites can carry a parasite that makes you allergic to certain proteins. Ask the Dr. to test you for Alpha-GAL allergy. > > [Alpha-gal syndrome - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy) That’s not necessary. The OP starting loving foods that he hated and doesn’t like certain foods anymore that he once did. He hasn’t mentioned having allergic reactions. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/32 "2018-03-23T15:06:32Z")
After a bad experience with scallops i can’t eat them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/33 "2018-03-23T15:41:07Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > I used to have a colossal sweet tooth, but I’ve found that it’s gone away with age. Chocolate no longer has the same appeal, and I prefer desserts that are not quite so shockingly sweet. I also find that sweetness in savory things like spaghetti sauce really bothers me where it didn’t use to. I also enjoy the taste of bitter things more. This is what I was going to say, especially about sweets. My husband, who has a gigantic sweet tooth, and I have both noticed that we still enjoy sweets, but really can’t eat them like we used to, nor do we have the desire to do so. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/34 "2018-03-23T16:04:55Z")
I used to love love LOVE cashews. But the last few times I had them, they seemed mostly flavorless. Almonds are still tasty, tho! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/35 "2018-03-23T20:53:56Z")
I have a lot of things I once considered favorites go down on my list to something I will tolerate if I have to. Pastrami I used to love and now can barely stomach it. I enjoy a burger with a thin slice of meat but that’s about all the beef I can handle. 4 oz max of filet mignon. I used to love beef as a kid but it has slowly been loosing favor with me. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/36 "2018-03-23T21:38:35Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > That’s not necessary. The OP starting loving foods that he hated and doesn’t like certain foods anymore that he once did. He hasn’t mentioned having allergic reactions. TruCelt was replying to post #20, not the OP. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/37 "2018-03-24T17:18:44Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > After a bad experience with scallops i can’t eat them anymore. This describes my relationship to shrimp. I once got violently sick after eating a bad boiled shrimp at a hotel reception. Courtesy prevents me from describing the 48 hours that followed. I used to love them, but now (28 years later) I will eat them ONLY if they are part of another dish served by a host or hostess and I can’t get out of it. Even then, I try to push them aside as much as possible. The only other food that I NEVER touch are olives. They make me gag. But I’ve never liked them so I don’t think they count. Unfortunately, my wife is Greek Cypriot, so I have to allow them in the house. This has introduced her to the whole “flame sterilize the knives and cutting board” scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/38 "2018-03-25T02:12:32Z")
I have quite consciously cut down enormously on sugar and salt. I no longer enjoy very sweet or overly salty foods. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/39 "2018-03-25T05:35:25Z")
I think yes, and the OP touched on one of the main ways this can happen: if you binge on some food for a while, you can then go off it. Though perhaps you may crave it again at some future time. Another way is just if you get some negative association with a food. e.g. if you eat a particularly nasty cheesecake, it might put you off cheesecake in general for a while. (You can also consider this one and the same thing; binge eating a food can cause a negative association) Then there’s habits. For example, I went on a diet for a while that involved, among other things, moving from sugary drinks to sugar-free. I’m no longer on that diet but now I can’t drink regular sugary drinks – they taste far too sweet for me (ETA: I see same as **Hari Seldon** ). Finally I think even as an adult your palate might broaden, so to speak. For example, Alpha Pizza might be your favorite pizza joint for years. But then Beta Pizza opens, which makes delicious pizzas, and suddenly Alpha Pizza’s pizzas taste “off” to you. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066/40 "2018-03-25T05:50:46Z")
About 10 years ago, I suddenly stopped eating most seafood (shrimp, crab, lobster, etc., but still like fish). I don’t know why. Used to love it, especially shrimp. Then one day, was eating this pasta dish we always made, and realized I was picking all the shrimp out. I just didn’t like. I don’t know why. Haven’t eaten seafood since. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adults-all-of-a-sudden-stop-liking-certain-foods/392066.md?page=3)