Let’s say you had an affliction that rendered you insensitive to the taste of food. (I have no idea if such an affliction exists, but if it does, I’m looking forward to seeing it on an episode of “House.”)
What would you eat? What menu would you design for yourself that focused entirely on nutritional content, with no consideration to taste?
IANAN (I am not a nutritionist) but I imagine it would involve lots of raw vegetables and seafood. I’m interested to hear from people more nutrition-contest than I (which is probably a sizeable portion of the population).
Just curious. Mods, feel free to move to IMHO if more appropriate.
I used to wonder about this as a kid. I enjoy food but I’d gladly give up my taste buds in order to eat a healthy diet. I value that more than the taste of food, which is less appealing to me than the texture of food. I like a variety of textures; of crunchiness, smoothness, chewiness and lightness…it’s less about the flavour than feel of food in my mouth.
So, with zero taste buds, I’d eat the healthiest stuff that I avoid now. I’d start at the beginning of the vegetable aisle and take one of everything. Same with fruits, same with drinks. If every liquid has no taste, why not just drink water?
A friend of mine in college had a roommate for a while who had lost her sense of smell after being in a bike accident. She seemed not to care too much what she ate, but favored salty, fatty stuff like the chorizo and eggs my friend liked to whip up.
They also had to keep on her constantly about doing her laundry and freshening up her workout clothes and shoes, because she couldn’t tell when they were getting rank.
You only have five tastes. Even if you lost all your taste buds, you could still “taste” (ie, smell) things you eat. However, they would be much blander than usual, since you wouldn’t get the basic flavors of salty, sweet, bitter, sour, or “umami”/savory. You’d probably favor things that have a very pungent smell over things that are overly salty/sweet, like you would if you lose your sense of smell.
My grandmother and my stepfather both had/have very little sense of smell or taste. My grandmother was always thrilled if she could taste something. Otherwise she just ate whatever she was given. my stepfather likes spicy foods and puts hot sauce on stuff because he really can’t taste it otherwise. He still has favorite foods that aren’t spicy, like cashews and some candies. But he’ll eat pretty much anything from anywhere.
Lots and lots of celery until I lost all the weight I wanted to. I can’t stand raw celery but with no taste it would probably become my main food. After that, eh, probably all of the stuff I would need to keep my body its healthiest. I’d probably save a lot of money due to the lack of spices if I could just boil everything up or eat it raw.
cher3 and Lute Skywatcher, did their sense of taste and smell eventually return? After how long and to what extent? I have a dear co-worker who was in a car accident that has had this happen to them. They are, understandably, pretty upset/frustrated about this, could I at least, and legitimately, tell them to keep their chin up and after a time their senses will be back?
I would guess that, taste or no taste, you would still crave the calories. Appetite is a seperate biochemical feedback loop. Eating only celery would leave you craving other food, especially if your brain/body had the memory of the tastes of foods to work with.
Well then I would eat something different, of course. But I think that I wouldn’t have the urge to reach for something chocolatey or something salty if I couldn’t taste it. I do wonder if people who lost their sense of smell/taste still crave certain foods.
Even without taste buds you’d still have nerve endings inside your mouth, yes? So you could still enjoy food for the mouth feel and texture, if not anything else.
That said, I don’t know what I’d like to eat. Pop rocks, maybe? Salads? I guess I’d think bananas were too mushy.
I had this happen to a friend at work. She was a brilliant engineer, but she got in a horrific car accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life and left her in a coma for a week. She came back with no sense of smell whatsoever. She ate mostly cereal and salads, but also became a raging alcoholic and quit her job to be a stripper. Obviously smell was not the only sense she lost, but as far as I know, she lost it for good.
My boss claims to have lost his sense of taste and smell many years ago during some strange incident that involved a bad cold, allergies and cats. I’ve never asked for details. He generally just eats bland food, including pizza with no toppings, iceburg lettuce and TV dinners. He can’t stand anything bitter or piquant. If there’s a hint of balsamic vinegar on his salad, he’ll practically wither up and die. He’s utterly uninterested in food and drink, and lets other members of his family make all the food decisions.
My brother in law was in an accident in 99. Lost his sense of smell and taste. (I’m not exactly sure why cause he hurt mostly his back) It still has not returned. He finds new entertainment betting people on stuff he will/won’t eat. Nice little cash flow too.
The one I know gradually regained her sense of smell & taste. One day about 10 years after the accident she called us all excited that she was starting to sense flavors again.
Damn, just got to hope for the best I guess. Thanks all for the aswers though.
As for my answer to the OP- I suppose nutrition bars would be a decent way to go. They aren’t the greatest tasting thing anyway, but decent texture and good nutrients. All though they also tend to run on the pricey side. Probably lots of rice as well, it’s cheap, filling, and you’re not missing out on too much flavor anyway.
I can’t stand raw celery but with no taste it would probably become my main food. After that, eh, probably all of the stuff I would need to keep my body its healthiest. I’d probably save a lot of money due to the lack of spices if I could just boil everything up or eat it raw.
Nice little cash flow too.