Does being sick affect the way foods taste?

Answer 1

Part of the reason something tastes good to us is that we can also smell it as we eat. Humans have specialized sensory cells in the nasal cavity called olfactory sensory neurons. These neurons give us our sense of smell. If you're stopped up due to a cold, it impedes those senses and you aren't able to smell as well. A cold also doesn't allow as good of air intake through the nasal passages which normally allows different chemicals (scents) to pass over these neurons and be sensed (smelled). Since taste and smell are correlated, that component of your enjoyment of food will be diminished, at least temporarily.

Answer 2

Your taste buds don't specifically change when you become sick. The flavors of food seem to change when you are sick due to your sinuses. Since sense of smell and taste are so closely related, when your sinuses become inflamed, it affects your sense of smell...thus affecting your sense of taste.

Answer 3

When you have a cold, your nose is stuffed up. Believe it or not, we need our nose to taste things so if you have mucus in your nose or whatever, you can't smell properly therefore getting no taste at all or a different taste when eating food.

Answer 4

when you loose your sense of smell, you also loose your sense of taste. for example: when you catch up colds, your nose is clogged and so your smelling is altered.

Answer 5

because ur body doenst feel as great as it feels when its not sick so ur body doesnt feel like absorbing or digesting ur food

Answer 6

some times you dont have the energy to eat and things some times can tast like cardbord yuk!!

Answer 7

Some people loose their sense of taste when they get a cold or flu (I know I do). Other people do not loose their sense of taste. It all depends on the person.