Coping with taste changes

Many people experience taste changes during treatment. Taste changes will vary with the kind of treatment you are receiving and will be individual for each person.

It is important to do some experimenting with food flavors and to keep a list of those foods that taste good to you. The following ideas can make it easier to choose appealing foods and can help to prevent unwanted weight loss.

1. To take away an unpleasant mouth taste, rinse with club soda before meals. Rinse often between meals as well. Also, try sugarless gum or mints.


2. If foods taste strong or bitter, you may want to try mild tasting foods such as:

• Unsalted crackers and cream cheese
• Potato mashed with milk and butter
• Milk – hot or cold
• Bread soaked in milk
• Steamed rice
• Tofu (bean curd)
• Hot cereal with cream
• Custard
• Plain noodles and butter
• Baking powder biscuits

3. When meat tastes bitter or metallic, try eating it cold rather than hot. Avoid those which have a strong smell. Eating with plastic utensils may help decrease the metallic taste. Other protein foods to try are:

• Cold sliced meat, chicken or ham
• Quiche – hot or cold
• Devilled eggs
• Sausage rolls
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Milk, milkshakes
• Custard, pudding
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese

Try marinating meat, chicken, or fish in the following:

• Orange juice
• Lemonade
• Vinegar
• Wine
• Lemon juice
• Italian dressing
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Soy sauce

4. If foods taste bland, try to enhance the taste of food by having alternate bites of different tasting foods within a meal. Some food ideas are:

• Cottage cheese and pineapple

• Canned fruit and plain yogurt
• Grilled cheese and tomato juice

Use herbs and seasonings in food preparation, such as:

· Garlic

· Coriander

· Basil on eggs, vegetables, salad or fish

· Mrs. Dash

· Thyme, parsley, or oregano on beans, fish, cheese, poultry, meat, vegetables

· Rosemary

· Tarragon on eggs, poultry, meat or salads

· Mint

You may enjoy strong flavored foods such as:

· Marinated meats

· Pizza

· Pickles, olives

· Cured meats

· Pepperoni

· BBQ foods

5. If foods taste overly sweet, try adding a pinch of salt to decrease the sweetness of foods such as:


· Puddings

· Ice Cream

· Canned fruits

· Milk shakes

6. If foods taste too salty: Try a variety of low-salt or sodium-reduced products.


Try adding sugar to help mask the salty flavour. For example, add sugar to:

· Soups

· Juice

· Cottage cheese

· Mashed potatoes

· Gravy

· Salad dressings

· Casseroles

7. If salty foods taste good, try sprinkling some salt to perk up foods which are hard to taste. You could even try adding salt to juice, fruit, pudding or hot cereal. Some nutritious salty foods to try are:


· Cheese and crackers

· Bowl of soup

· Instant oriental noodles

· Mashed potato and gravy

· Salted nuts and potato chips

· Pickles, olives

· Strong cheese

· Bacon, ham, corned beef

· Preseasoned rice mixes

· Dried potato dishes

· Salted peanut butter

· Cottage cheese

· Tomato juice

8. If sweet foods are appealing, try adding a sprinkle of sugar to all foods, even soups, cereals, casseroles, meats, and vegetables. Some sweet foods to try are:


· Iced cake and pastries

· Cookies with filling

· Flavored yogurt

· Sugar coated cereal (eat dry or with milk)

· Jello with sweetened whipped cream

· Milkshakes

· Hot milk with honey

· Pudding, trifle

· Ice cream, sherbet

· Fruit canned in syrup

· Pancakes with syrup

· Donuts

· Marshmallows

9. Sour tasting foods can stimulate your taste buds and saliva flow and take away that “cotton mouth” feeling. If sour appeals to you, you may want to try:


· Cranberry/cranapple juice

· Orange juice

· Pickles

· Sweet and sour sauce

· Lemon juice or vinegar on meat, fish, chicken, eggs, soup

· Plain yogurt

· Sour cream

· Sourdough bread

· Lemonade

Eventually your taste sensations will improve. Until they do, you may find your selection somewhat limited but eat the foods you tolerate best, even if you have to eat the same thing every day for a while. It is perfectly acceptable to eat the same foods often if only a few foods appeal to you.

Rosemary

· Tarragon on eggs, poultry, meat or salads

· Mint