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Original poster

Loss of taste and smell with covid - what did you eat?

29 replies

Us3rnam36 · 07/08/2023 19:38

Currently suffering from covid for the first time ever and my taste and smell has completely gone. I don’t really feel like eating anything because I can’t taste it - but obviously I know I need to even if just small portions.

If you have been through the same thing, what did you eat? Praying that this symptom only lasts a few days 😢

OP posts:
Shouldbedoing · 07/08/2023 19:39

Crunchy things

Shouldbedoing · 07/08/2023 19:44

Greek yogurt, nice and cold

userxx · 07/08/2023 19:45

Mine lasted 4 months, I went for foods with different texture to mix it up a bit.

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Covid-19
Bumpinthenight · 07/08/2023 19:49

Anything I fancied. It all tasted of water, including the chilli that DH and Dd had to cover in sour cream!

Bluevelvetsofa · 07/08/2023 20:22

DH says that spicy food doesn’t make a difference for him.

He reckons everything just tastes of nothing, but he recognises he has to eat something. We both got it two weeks ago and we’re still feeling pretty rough I’m afraid.

Ontopofthesunset · 07/08/2023 20:39

My favourite meal was tinned cream of tomato soup (sweet, smooth) with buttered wholemeal toast (salty, crunchy). I had no taste but I could distinguish salty and sweet, and the rest was texture.

pecanpie101 · 07/08/2023 20:44

As pp said it's all about texture. I ate a lot of porridge, heathy and filling

LubaLuca · 07/08/2023 20:47

I drank milkshake because it felt nice and I knew it was sweet even though I couldn't taste the flavour. I ate plain crisps so I could enjoy the crunch and the saltiness.

GigiAnnna · 07/08/2023 20:54

I ate minimally as I thought there wasn't much point if I couldn't taste it. I only had no smell or taste for about 48 hours. I ate strong tasting things like pickled onion Space Raiders to begin with, then curry and it gradually came back.

gogomoto · 07/08/2023 20:57

Anything with nice mouth feel eg ice cream (no point have expensive stuff!) for me it was only 7 days and hardly eating didn't do me any harm, in fact a periodic bout of not wanting to eat would be good!!!

Avoid pizza, turns out without flavour it's like eating cardboard!

gogomoto · 07/08/2023 20:59

First taste back was chilli, I cooked a curry and the look on dsd's face - I hadn't realised covid upped my tolerance of chilli 10 fold, she was gasping for waterGrin

Kingsleadhat · 07/08/2023 21:05

All I could face was Dahl and rice and sometimes porridge. I think it's worth getting started asap on smell retraining. You sniff a set of four scents twice a day - rose, citrus, eucalyptus and cinnamon. Hope you're feeling better soon

MrsMoastyToasty · 07/08/2023 21:19

Things on toast . So far

Baked beans
Poached eggs
Boiled eggs and toast soldiers.
Spaghetti hoops and toast.
Peanut butter and toast
Cream of tomato soup and croutons.

TheGirlWhoLived · 07/08/2023 21:20

Mostly salt

megletthesecond · 07/08/2023 21:24

Just healthy stuff and not much of it. I was in a huff about not being able to taste nice things like biscuits. The one bonus of most nasty colds is that you can at least drink tea and eat biscuits while you're feeling rough. Covid even took that little pleasure away.

My taste and smell took about two weeks to return.

Claricestarling1 · 07/08/2023 21:35

I ate a lot of fiery foods..jalapeños, Tabasco, hot chilli sauce on everything..and for months afterwards just to be able to taste a tiny bit of flavour

Fluffyrug191 · 07/08/2023 21:41

Right there at the moment, got a takeaway for tea not realising I couldn't really taste anything and it was gross. Soggy burger bun and slimy sauce. I usually absolutely demolish anything greasy and unhealthy so maybe it will do me some good. No idea what to eat tomorrow though.

Ghostlight · 07/08/2023 21:47

Mine lasted just over 3 months. For actual enjoyment I ate crunchy things, raw peppers, cucumber, crusty bread, crinkle cut crisps.
For the experimental side of me, I ate lots of things that I know are good for me but I don't like, fish, broccoli, nuts and eggs.
I was hoping that maybe after eating it for so long I could trick myself into liking them when taste came back. It did not work at all but eggs are fun to cook so I don't mind.

KohlaParasaurus · 07/08/2023 21:49

I ate everything in an attempt to find something I could taste, for I hadn't lost my appetite. Fortunately, it lasted for less than a week. The worst part was when I couldn't taste coffee and just got bitterness.

Original poster
Us3rnam36 · 08/08/2023 11:54

Thanks for your replies. Some good ideas.

It’s really quite stressing me out a bit having zero taste or smell. Also upsetting me a bit. It’s my birthday this weekend too which is just going to be ruined 😢

OP posts:
RoseDog · 08/08/2023 11:58

The jumbo dairylea dunkers got me through covid!

Original poster
Us3rnam36 · 08/08/2023 12:38

I feel so bloody miserable. I just want to be able to enjoy food again 😢

OP posts:
TinkerbellefromYorkshire · 08/08/2023 12:47

I've had Covid four times.
First time before vaccinations.. l was so ill and they wanted me in hospital ( l refused) . Felt suicidal.. worst illness of my life..Everything tasted salty to me .. l ate oranges / satsumas / drank orange juice .. before meals it gave me a bit of taste.. ate crunchy things for texture.
2nd n 3rd time like bad flu. Just had my 4th bout ( fully vaccinated) add apples / plumbs and peaches melon pineapple and tea now to the salty taste .
Everything smells of peanut butter ( l hate peanut butter). Luckily I'm still okay with oranges. This new variant I've just had ( XBB 1.16) gave me laryngitis ( it's a common symtom) plus bad ear infections and left me deaf.. ( still got it a month later).. left me exhausted but I'm over 60 with other health problems... luckily my GP gave me diazepam.
Good luck and hope it's not too bad and doesn't last long).

amusedbush · 08/08/2023 13:11

I had it for the first time at the beginning of this year and couldn't taste anything for about three weeks. I pretty much just ate Muller Rice because it was quick, effortless, and I like the texture.

whydoesitalwayshappentome · 08/08/2023 13:13

I had Covid for the first time last September and when my taste and smell went, I just lived on toast, as I hadn't realised how much you rely on smell to look forward to eating. My taste and smell partially came back, but are nowhere close to being how they were unfortunately.