Do you ever get halfway through a meal and not want to take another bite because you’re bored of the taste? This is what is known as flavor fatigue. Being bored with the taste of foods can make it more difficult to get the good nutrition your body needs during recovery. The loss of taste that some treatments bring can also make it harder to find flavours you enjoy.
Flavour fatigue
Here are some ways to enjoy your meals and increase your appetite:
- Find flavours that appeal to you. If your taste is altered, then you might find yourself liking different foods daily, or even hourly. Don’t fight it. Eat and drink what appeals to you at the moment.
- Try something new. A new taste can help keep your interest. Try a new fruit or vegetable. Or pick a new recipe.
- Spice it up. If your usual recipes seem to lack flavour right now, try adding spices and herbs to liven them up.
- Eat with company. Eating is more than just food. Sharing a nice meal with friends or family can encourage you to eat.
- Eat small meals more often. Having small servings or different foods prevents you from getting tired of one taste.
- Try Ensure®. Along with being packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein, Ensure® comes in a variety of flavours to help prevent flavour fatigue. Because it’s so versatile, you can mix it up and include it in your favourite recipes to bring up the nutritional and energy content.
You might also like
Eating well during cancer treatments
Your body uses up more energy than usual during cancer treatments. Getting adequate nutrition can help you feel better.
Coping with nausea and vomiting
Although you should never force yourself to eat when you’re feeling nauseous, it’s important to eat regularly and maintain good nutrition to help prevent it.
Coping with the loss of taste
Being bored with the taste of foods can lead to eating less, weight loss, and poor nutritional status — all of which can affect your recovery.
Cinnamon Rice Recipe
Add some spice and extra nutrition to your everyday rice.
Save more than $100
Sign up to the Ensure® Club and get coupons, meal plans, exclusive tips, and recipes!
* From a survey of 1,038 independent-living adults aged 50+ who added 1 serving of Ensure® Protein Max 30 g per day for at least 5 days over a 2-week period, compared to control group (p<0.0001).
Canadian formulation is similar to the one used in the survey. Applies to Chocolate and Vanilla flavours.
† Compared to one serving (235 mL) of Ensure® Regular.
‡ Per 330-mL serving.
§ Brand of oral nutritional supplements.
Share this article