Taste Buds: Why some don't like healthful foods
 

A long time ago I mentioned on this board that we tend to lose our sense of taste as we get older. That's because someone said, "health food consists of items like birds nest, tofu and cardboard."

Evidently, a study was done on this subject and I now have the result.

Average number of taste buds remaining at 75: 36%

This may partly explain why people in their 70s suffer rapidly declining health. Healthy whole foods don't taste good to them while fast food tastes great.

I myself haven't noticed any decline in my sense of taste. I continue to eat natural whole foods and seldom add any salt. I never buy any groceries with added sweetener. Fats in my diet come mostly from nuts.

It's really nobody else's business if a 75-year-old or a 20-year-old or a centenarian wants to have a dash of salt and pepper on their dinner, or a teaspoon of sugar on their oatmeal or Wheaties.

I never cared for most vegetables much especially salads. That's healthful but that's not good for me. Don't care for eating meat much. So, that's unhealthful yet since I don't eat much so that's good. I love fruits which is healthful so that's good. I love sweets so that's unhealthful so thats's not good. So guess I need to stick to fish to live longer.

As my parents aged they seemed to embrace the comfort foods my mom made when I was little.
I like both old and new [except for coconut].

From what I read Warren Buffett literally never touches a green/red/yellow/leafy vegetable. He appears to exist on steaks, hamburgers, potatoes and cherry cokes. Although he does not physically resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger his brain seems to be working quite well.

Humans are omnivorous. We can eat just about anything and survive.

My father seemed to survive mostly on ice cream the last 5 to 10 years of his life and he lived to 94.

I eat a blend of about 70 percent good, 20 percent okay and 10 percent what I want...seems to work. As with most things common sense rules and when my body wants something healthy it tells me in many ways, but some people refuse to listen and suffer...if only they'd suffer in silence....

My taste for fruit; particularly bananas and cherries is still very much with me.


http://tcbycr.com/images/fbananasplit.jpg

Care to explain your conclusion that you lose taste buds for "healthy foods" but not the taste buds for fast food?
Also, I've never eaten a bird's nest. What does one taste like? Chicken?

please provide sources

I remember in his later years, my father couldn't taste anything except spicy things, mostly chili. Eventually, he took over the kitchen and cooked himself chili every night. I'm not at that point, but I noticed my tastes are changing. I use a lot more pepper of all kinds on everything I make. Except Cheerios.

I'd like to read the details of this study.
How many people over age 75 were tested and how did they determine the percentage of tastebuds remaining?
Please quote the source of this interesting study.

I agree - I've seen no evidence that proves a dash of salt or a teaspoon of sugar causes disease or death.
In order to reach the age of 75, a person probably already has decent eating habits.
I think having a supportive circle of friends contributes more to good health than eating twigs, weeds and cardboard.

I love 'seefood'. I see it I eat it!

Mom and Dad eat 'freezer food' most evenings. When they come visit I put them on food restriction, which means I grill SOMETHING easy every night. They do love any leftovers, even freezer food....

Obviously, to some degree, older people would lose their taste for both. But fast foods are known to be tastier, so elderly people may gravitate toward items like pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, pies etc..

Items like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower would not likely be very appealing.

Book: "The Check List" by Manny Alvarez, M.D.

The taste bud issue was one of ten things that decline with age. No study was mentioned and different studies may yield different results.

To learn more, you might try searching: "Taste Perception with Age"

Do you have a study to support your idea that a supportive circle of friends contributes more to good health than eating a healthy diet?

I found his book and his website. I see he's trying to help people live healthier lives.

If your taste buds start to disappear I would think that different foods, healthier would be the direction to take.

I couldn't stand to even cut blue cheese in the deli i worked in as a kid. Now I will pick that one first. The same with broccoli, brussel sprouts and beets. Wouldn't you agree that stronger flavors would appeal to older people as their taste buds fade?

I think when we were little all the veggies came in a can for most of the year. I hated spinach or asparagus.

Mayo Clinic for one says a circle of friends is important to good health.
Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health - Mayo Clinic

And of course Bette Midler
[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWlQl69Ps6E[/ame]

I am trying to get funding for a study that will support the premise that some of my taste buds grew back from arguing with my friends on TOTV.

I feel bad for doin' that.

Mayo Clinic says that but I don't see any formal study to back it up.

You think they just make things up or start rumors. It's the Mayo Clinic, not TOTV!

Yes, I agree. An apple is better than a piece of apple pie.

That's a complicated question. To some degree yes but I think they usually look for stronger flavors in a way that they find appealing and many don't find bitter flavors appealing. Some vegetables are said to be slightly bitter.

I don't remember too many canned vegetables. Before my mother got married someone told her that her prospective husband would not eat anything out of a can. So I guess she tried to avoid it. But, eventually, we did have some canned items. :)

I grew up in New Mexico eating hot chili daily. In high school a buddy and I used to have Jalapeño eating contests. One would think my taste buds would be shot by now but I ended up living much of my adult life where the food was pretty bland. Today when I am in New Mexico I find I can not handle the hot chili anymore so I stick with mostly mild, medium at most.

Moreover at age 73 I am still quite picky about coffee and wine so I must have enough taste buds left to discern their quality and characteristics. I still thoroughly enjoy what I eat and drink.

Might it be a use them or lose them proposition?

Hold the Mayo. It's not good for you.

When I was little in NJ fresh veggies were seasonal and not imported from all over the world. Where were you raised?

On April 17, 2012, Buffett announced that he was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer. There's never any guarantee that eating a better diet will prevent it but cruciferous vegetables are said to contain chemical compounds that protect against cancer. A healthy lifestyle in general is what's called for to improve one's risk of getting any degenerative disease.

We shouldn't count on genes to carry us through to a ripe old age. I've seen many elders in my family live to 106, 100, 97 and 89, but many of their children and grandchildren died at much younger ages.

I think you need to consider the context of advice coming from the Mayo Clinic or any other such clinic. People go to them for the treatment of some very serious diseases and having a circle of friends can be helpful in that context.

Remember, I wasn't the one who brought up the issue of "healthy diet" versus "happiness". Since when should it be one versus the other. Both have their place in a healthy lifestyle.

The reason I object to blanket statements about "happiness" or "a circle of friends" providing the best plan for longevity, is that it depends on the context of what the group is about.

The following people all had their circle of friends:

Osama Bin Laden

The terrorists who destroyed the Twin Towers

Saddam Hussein

Hitler

Charles Manson

That's a good question. I know that certain things can be repaired or replaced. The medical community used to think that once you lost brain cells, they could never be replaced. Research now shows that the brain can create new cells (neurogenesis).

Too bad it doesn't seem to work with Alzheimer's. My father lost his sense of smell about 20 years before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Now it's said that loss of smell can be an early warning sign of this disease. In the case of Alzheimer's, I doubt that his nose changed, it was his brain that was changing. So now I wonder if loss of taste might also be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's. It may be that the food one tastes just doesn't register in the brain.

They say that loss of balance can also be an early warning sign of dementia.

Well, it was their circle of enemies that brought them down! Their friends had nothing to do with their demise.

We don't know how long they would have lived in their circle of friends, than God.

That was the most extreme example, just to prove the point that there is a whole range of possible behaviors coming from different "circles of friends."

You want something on the other end of the range? Okay, I got it hot off the press from yesterday's Daily Sun. The article started on the front page and continued on page A7. The heading: "Up for the Challenge"

The article concerns the ever increasing national weight issue and the weight issue in The Villages. On page 7 it stated that the biggest obstacle for villagers is the many neighborhood potlucks and potlucks at club functions.

The article stated that, last year, USF researchers surveyed 144 Villagers and found that social eating is a common and sometimes excessive occurrence.

In the article, a Villager was quoted as saying, "There's food and drinks with everything you do."

My point is: One's circle of friends can be a big influence on one's behavior, for better or worse.

I've been looking for some good recipes using bird nests, tofu and cardboard. Can anyone suggest a source? (Google was no help at all).

How about a recipe for roast duck?

What is the reason to live longer without a television or a computer or some chubby friends?

And we have been growing older everyday since the day we were born.

You're forgetting someone.