Whether it was chicken nuggets, pizza or homecooked from your mom, there’s a meal that you fondly remember eating as a child. From hating broccoli to it becoming your favorite vegetable, your taste buds change as you age.
Taste buds evolving
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Taste buds allow you to detect the five basic tastes including sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. The combination of temperature, texture and taste combine to get what you experience as flavor.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, our taste buds decrease as we age, which means that your perception of taste changes at different stages of life. The foods you love as an adult may differ from those you love as a child.
Over time, you may have a decreased sensitivity to taste, which typically affects salty or sweet tastes and eventually, sour or bitter. As you age, your sense of smell may decrease as well, which can also contribute to the loss of taste.
The National Institute on Aging suggests, “If you’re having trouble smelling and tasting your food, try adding color or texture to make it more interesting.”
Grown up favorites
Here are some “grown-up” versions of childhood classics.
If you loved…
Mac and cheese
Try a version of mac and cheese made with Gouda and sharp cheddar. The rich and smoky flavors of the cheeses will give your taste buds a strong flavor rush.
Pizza
Try a pear and gorgonzola pizza. The sweet and sharp combo offers a pleasant pairing.
Chicken fingers
Try a parmesan-crusted chicken cutlet. The thin and crispy chicken is great on its own or can be paired with almost anything.
Grilled cheese
A quick and easy grilled cheese can be leveled-up using sourdough bread and adding ingredients such as goat cheese, pesto or bacon. Don’t forget to pair it with a tomato soup.
Dabur
Local input
A few seniors at the Grandview Heights Recreation Center share how their tastes buds have changed over the years.
One thing they all agreed on was how much they loved their parents’ or grandparents’ homecooked meals – from potato pancakes to pasta with garlic sauce. Many discussed how they took the homecooked meals for granted considering today’s processed foods.
A few commented on how their sense of taste has decreased over the years. For example, cheesecake used to be too rich, but now it is one of their favorite desserts.
While they didn’t always love them when they were younger, they all love a variety of food such as Mexican, chicken skewers, parsnips and fruitcake.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
