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Oct 19, 2021 · Directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oats in a blender or food processor and pulverize for 30 seconds to make oat flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, peanut butter, baking soda, salt, vanilla, honey and egg. Use a hand mixer (or heavy wooden spoon) to combine; the mixture will be thick.
- Overview
- How to get your taste back for various causes of loss
- COVID-19
- Upper respiratory infection
- Allergies, sinus problems
- Nasal polyps
- Certain medications
- Cancer treatment
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Nutritional deficiencies
You may lose your sense of taste or smell if you have certain medical conditions or as a side effect of medication. How to get your sense of taste back can depend on the underlying cause.
Your sense of taste and smell work together to make food enjoyable or warn you that it’s gone bad.
Every year, over 200,000 people seek care for taste or smell problems. These senses are so interwoven that sometimes, what seems to be the loss of taste is actually the loss of smell. True loss of taste (ageusia) is rare.
Many conditions can interfere with taste, but it usually returns when the cause is resolved. Loss of taste can be a sign of COVID-19 or another viral infection. Sometimes it lingers even after the infection has passed.
Depending on the cause, lack of taste may resolve on its own or by treating the cause. In the meantime, avoid the temptation to add extra sugar or salt to your food. Experiment with a variety of foods, herbs, and spices.
Change or loss of taste is commonly reported by people with COVID-19.
In an April 2021 study, researchers found that in a group of 200 people with mild to moderate COVID-19:
•7 percent lost their sense of taste (but not smell)
•4 percent lost their sense of smell and taste
•4.5 percent lost their sense of smell (but not taste)
Everybody who lost their taste regained it within 14 days. People who lost their sense of smell regained it within 21 days except for two people, who developed long-term loss of smell.
Any type of infection of the upper respiratory tract can affect your sense of taste. Upper respiratory tract infections include the common cold and influenza, which can cause nasal congestion, coughing, and sneezing. The flu can also cause fever.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), change or loss of taste or smell is more common with COVID-19 than the flu.
Cold and flu symptoms are treated with:
•rest
•antihistamines
•decongestants
Allergies and sinus infections can cause inflammation and congestion, which affects smell and taste. Sinus infections are treated with:
•nasal rinses or sprays
•OTC pain medications
•antibiotics
Nasal polyps are soft, painless bumps that grow in your nasal passages or sinuses. They’re caused by chronic inflammation associated with:
•allergies
•asthma
•recurring infection
•immune disorders
•drug sensitivities
Some medicines can alter or diminish your sense of taste. These include:
•psychotropic medications
•bladder medications
•antihistamines
•antibiotics
•cholesterol-lowering medications
Chemotherapy and radiation to the head or neck can alter or weaken your sense of taste. This usually clears up once you finish treatment. In the meantime, here are some other things you can try:
•Eat cold foods, which may be easier to taste than hot foods.
•Drink plenty of fluids.
•Brush your teeth before and after eating.
•Ask your doctor to recommend products that may help with dry mouth.
•Mints, gum, and using plastic utensils instead of metal can help with a temporary metallic taste.
People with dementia, including those with Alzheimer’s disease, can experience a decline in smell and taste. Other things that contribute to eating and nutritional difficulties include:
•medications
•trouble recognizing foods
•difficulty going through the steps of eating a meal
Certain nutritional deficiencies could minimize your sense of taste. For example, zinc is vital to your senses of taste and smell. You can probably already get enough zinc through a normal, varied diet. Zinc is found in chicken, red meat, fortified breakfast cereals, and many other foods.
Women need 8 milligrams a day and men need 11 milligrams. If you think you may have a zinc deficiency, talk with a doctor about your diet and whether you should take a supplement. Don’t take supplements without first speaking with a doctor.
Some people with parosmia after COVID-19 describe the smell as rotten food, garbage or ammonia. The “COVID smell” seems to be especially bad if you’re around coffee, onions, garlic, meat, citrus, toothpaste and toiletries. About 7% of people who have loss of taste and smell during COVID-19 end up with parosmia, according to one study.
- How COVID-19 affects your ability to smell and tasteHow COVID-19 changes your smell and taste remains unknown. The good news is COVID-19 doesn’t seem to affect the olfactory sensory nerves responsibl...
- When does the sense of smell come back after COVID-19?Loss of smell can be one of the most persistent symptoms of long COVID-19 . Most people get better in a few weeks, but for some people, it can take...
- When does parosmia after COVID-19 start?A distorted sense of smell typically appears two to three months after COVID-19, often when you thought you were mostly recovered. It may seem like...
- Can COVID-19 cause permanent loss of smell and taste?It’s unlikely, since COVID-19 doesn’t appear to damage olfactory nerves or taste buds directly – it only affects the cells that support your olfact...
- When does taste come back after COVID-19?The good news is that once your sense of smell is back to normal, you’ll be able to taste things the same way you did before.
- How can I get my sense of smell and taste back after COVID-19?Your ability to smell and taste will most likely come back on their own after a while. But if you’d like to speed things along, there are some thin...
Nov 29, 2023 · Plus, if these issues are COVID-related, there are techniques you can use to improve your senses. First, consult a healthcare provider to assess whether your issues are COVID related or have another cause. Then, work to retrain your senses. One way is by smelling different stong scents a few times a day over several months.
Apr 19, 2024 · Long-term loss of taste and smell can be from the olfactory cells or certain nerves that have been damaged through trauma to the head or skull (such as a concussion). There are theories that COVID-19 might damage these nerves, or damage your mucosa (a lining in your nose that helps your nose sense odors). Normal aging can cause diminished sense ...
- David Lee, MD
May 16, 2022 · Olfactory retraining after COVID-19. The loss or change in a person’s sense of taste and smell is something that can happen to people who have had COVID-19 . It’s a common symptom with other viruses, including influenza, but it’s happening at a much larger magnitude due to the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Current estimates indicate ...
Feb 18, 2021 · How to get taste and smell back after COVID-19. Many videos have surfaced online of people trying to trigger their sense of taste with aromatic foods like blackening oranges and eating them or biting into onions like they are apples. While some of these attempts may seem absurd, they may actually work.
