Would I be healthier if I couldn't taste or smell?

[Melysia]

To me a probable yes!

I've got a bloody cold and can't smell or taste sod all at the moment, fleeting but just down right irritating. I had a thought that even though I remember how good things taste and smell, it's just not satisfying at all.

I know there are plenty of tasty healthy things but I'd rather chow down on a chocolate bar and a glass of plonk while watching the soaps than chewing through a salad of an evening. If I can't really enjoy the taste well I may as well eat all the pumpkin seeds and tofu I can get my mitts on.

I haven't had either of those things but just a thought.

I have a friend who has no sense of smell or taste. She says it makes food very boring and it all comes down to texture. So if you preferred the texture of chocolate to lettuce, you'd still favour the chocolate.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Lol thankyou x

Yes, I thought about the texture aspect which would make a big difference to what I ate. My thoughts were actually with people who couldn't taste or smell ever, it must be horrible. I heard an item on BBC 4 (radio) about people with no sense of smell or taste and they went off memory when eating.

It's bad enough just having a cold.

Even so, when I say seeds and tofu it's of course in jest but if the texture was the same?

Not that I need to lose weight or have any health issues, I was being a tad crass to illustrate how shit I feel at the minute : (

It would be nice to be a bit healthier though, doubt that it's the answer to the worlds obesity and health issues.

I suspect, I'd still eat the same stuff but probably not in the same amounts.

lol don't get me started! Having a cold used to mean a sore throat and a snotty nose, now it's bad back shivering, fever, congestion. I usually have 2 a year and they get worse each time. Not to mention a proggressive hayfever problem. I never used to suffer from it.
I can't be ill though, got a 16month old and a 7 year old.

I have to be normal and not complain...I'll do it here instead.

Now I feel crap/per for all the people that are REALLY ill.

Oh dear....

I feel a bit crap just now and am not hungry, but 2 weeks ago when I had chest infection all I wanted was really salty foods with loads of TASTE. So maybe depends how ill you are! I have lots of choc cake and have only eaten a wee drop!

atm i am missing all of my favorite foods, like apples, cucumber raw veg and it is killing me having to think of what i can eat.

I had dentures approx 3 weeks ago and i have to be careful what i eat or it is pure agony, and food don't taste the same.

I went through a similar period of crappy illnesses when mine were 7. They bring nasty things home from school.

They are 17 now though and just bring me constant grief instead. So it's swings and roundabouts really.

Well, years ago I had a bad infection/cold which meant that after a few months I realised I couldn't taste or smell anything. I went to the doctors and eventually had an operation to correct a deviated septum which was great at getting rid of my sinusitis, but didn't bring back the taste/smell.

That was over 10 years ago and it is still the same. I have learnt to cope, and as others have said, it is all about texture. Strangely enough I can still tell if food is 'delicious'. I have been to restaurants/relative's/friend's houses and eaten dinner and then said to my sister, that meal was great/rubbish and she has agreed.But I am partial to spicy food

Cooking new recipes are a problem as I don't know how they are supposed to taste and so tend to stick to things I know. My DH is the guinea pig.

As to being healthy, well you're right, you could just eat 'healthy' food and not give it a second thought, as you can't taste it anyway, but in reality the crunch of a battered cod, complete with vinegar and chips is compensation enough.

I think I have 'food memory' because I certainly choose food which I remember as my favourite and usually it is lovely. Well you can remember smells, why not tastes?

I lost my sense of smell after having sinusitis, its horrible, especially when your ds needs a nappy change and someone else has to tell you. The taste of food tho, I would believe comes down to texture, so silky soft chocolate would be better than say a a plateful of lettuce.

I lost taste and smell for a month once. I lost a stone without trying. Eating was just a chore, like cleaning the bathroom.

I have a very limited sense of smell (certainly could never tell when the DSs needed their naapies changing). However, although the two are supposed to be linked I think I do have a aense of taste. I can tell the difference between coffee and chocolate, or between cheese and mustard, but I can't smell a wine and know what it's like.

As a consequence I possibly over-season things, but no one complains here so it can't be too bad!

You may be healthier, but your life would be much less interesting...