An Uncommon Strategy for Tired Taste Buds

I remember having lunch with my mom while she was at a rehab facility following a long hospital stay. I was struck by how bland the food looked and tasted. At the time, I chalked it up to the common wisdom that “old people don’t like spicy food.”

Disappearing Taste Buds

However, I later began seeing articles about how with aging “the number of taste buds on our tongues decreases, [and] as those taste buds disappear, we become less sensitive to flavors and develop a reduced sense of taste.” Making matter worse, our remaining taste buds become less effective at detecting flavors.

All this can begin as early as our 40s and 50s and is hardly uncommon: “More than 70 percent of people ages 57 to 64 have measurable changes in their sense of taste.”

So no, “older people” don’t prefer bland food, i.e., aging doesn’t mean you automatically acquire an affinity for tasteless food. Likely as not, it’s just the opposite!

As we age, we should bump up the flavors in our food!

50-year old Robert began noticing that his food became less tasty, “as if the edges of flavors were softened.” Gradually, even favorite meals no longer left him feeling satisfied. So he began bumping up stronger flavors, like citrus, chili, garlic and other spices and condiments, along with focusing more on appealing textures, like creamy or crispy foods.

Flavor Beyond Heat

We often assume that “flavor” means “spicy hot.” This is not the case at all. There are so many flavors besides chiles: basil, oregano, thyme and all the other savory herbs; cumin, coriander, cardamom and all the Mediterranean spices; olives, capers, vinegars and citrus; and aromatics like garlic, onion, celery and peppers, to name just a few.

Why Battling Blandness Is Important

Over the years, caloric needs decrease as metabolism slows. That means we must get all the nutrients we need from a smaller amount of food. And it’s critical that we eat a wide variety of foods to get the wide variety of nutrients needed by the body.

If a meal is bland and unappealing, there’s a good chance we won’t feel like eating much to begin with. At the same time, there’s a good chance we’ll gravitate towards foods that are high in appeal but low in nutrition, like sugar-laden candies, desserts and pastries or high-carb comfort foods like white flour pasta and breads.

Eventually, too, a loss of enthusiasm for wholesome but bland meals leads to a loss of enthusiasm for making them, which further “supports” a diet of no-cook, low-nutrition foods, like crackers, toast, pastries, canned and frozen meals, and so on.

Tired Taste Bud Strategies

Don’t shy away from flavor! Explore new dishes, flavors and textures, swap recipes with a friend or try a cooking class (there are many on my YouTube channel!) Get more ideas from my blog–search on “bland” or “boring.” Here’s a good one, for instance, “Boring Food Is Dangerous! A Quick, Boredom-Beating Remedy.”

Data, quotes and stories taken from “Savor a Life of Scents and Flavors,” AARP Magazine, April/May 2025, p. 56.