How Have Your Tastebuds Changed?

blueberriesThose of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed me talking about this yesterday, but I’ll quickly recap it for everyone else. I’d just come back home from a dental cleaning that went really well. I jokingly told Twitter that I thought I should get to eat ice cream as a reward for having a healthy mouth. The funny thing is, though, that I seem to be losing my sweet tooth.

I’ll still have treats on occasion, but I don’t crave soy ice cream, cookies, or doughnuts like I used to. This is something I first noticed a few years ago when I cut soda out of my diet. After months of going without it, I was surprised by how cloyingly sweet it was when I tried it again. I still don’t like it.

I noticed this change even more last autumn when I picked up some doughnuts I used to love at a little vegan bakery in my city. They’d been delicious in the past, but now they were a little too sweet for me. I appreciated them, but I haven’t been back for more since then.

The same thing has also happened with alcohol. On the rare occasion that I used to have a glass of it, I’d pick something that was full of fruit and sugar to mask the taste of vodka or other alcoholic ingredients that I’ve never found tasty. My husband and I went out to dinner at a nice restaurant earlier this month. The menu was full of mixed drinks that might have tempted me a few years ago, but I shrugged off the idea of ordering one within seconds. Ice water sounded so much better.

Did that original decision to stop drinking soda start it all? I think it might have. They say your palate can adjust to all kinds of dietary changes if you give it enough time. What was once perfectly sweet (or salty) might not taste very good once you’ve gotten used to a different way of eating.

How have your tastebuds changes?

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0 Responses to How Have Your Tastebuds Changed?

  1. Sarah B.

    I used to not like onions. It didn’t matter if they were raw or cooked. I would meticulously pick them out of anything I ate. However, I’ve discovered I actually liked cooked onions now. I’m not sure why, but I do. I still don’t like raw onions though.

    I also gave up pop years ago, and like you, I’ve found it is much too sweet if I try and drink it now. I still like to drink carbonated water occasionally because I like the bubbles. 🙂 However, giving up pop doesn’t seem to have curbed my craving for sweets as I’m still totally devoted to chocolate.

    I had to smile about the fruity alcoholic drinks. My husband orders stuff like that when we’re out occasionally and he always lets me try it. He had a coconut martini when we were on vacation a couple weeks ago. Wow was it sweet! I’m much happier with a nice glass of dry red wine, and something chocolate for dessert…. 🙂

    • I didn’t know you used to hate onions. Interesting.

      • Sarah B.

        I’m not a picky eater, and there are very few foods that I won’t eat. Onions and I have had a complicated relationship. 🙂 Celery is another one of those foods that I’ll eat cooked but not raw. I think it might be a texture thing.

        • That makes sense. I have texture issues when it comes to eggs that aren’t quite cooked enough.

          • Sarah B.

            I’m with you on the eggs. Some people eat them so runny that they are barely cooked. I like mine to be a little soft, but pretty much cooked all the way through.

            Another food I didn’t particularly enjoy in the past was mustard. Now I’ve found I really like it. However, I’m still not a fan of plain yellow mustard. I prefer spicy Cajun mustard, and I have a friend who makes a really good Oktoberfest mustard. She gives me a jar every year for Christmas. 🙂

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