3 Surprising Reasons Your Food Just Doesn’t Quite Taste Right

Have you ever bitten into something you were expecting would taste delicious, only to be underwhelmed and disappointed a second later? You're not alone-odd taste sensations have been reported by as many as 200,000 people a year. There's even a scientific term for it: dysgeusia, meaning a distortion in one's sense of taste. Here are a few of the lesser-known factors behind this strange phenomenon.

You're Getting Sick

When you're coming down with a cold or other virus, even water can taste off. There are several different reasons for this. If you have post-nasal drip, mucus may be mixing with your saliva, which can give everything a salty taste. Similarly, your sense of smell has a huge effect on your taste receptors, so food will taste bland when you're all stuffed up. In addition, people who are ill produce excess amounts of certain proteins that can give food a bitter or downright nasty flavor.

Air Quality

If you've ever eaten on an airplane, you might have noticed that food never tastes as good when you're 30,000 feet in the air. Is it because the food is just that bad? Not necessarily. The increase in altitude is only part of the problem-decreased humidity and overall poor air quality can throw our taste buds out of whack, too. At home, you have more control over the situation. In addition to ruining your favorite recipes, a clogged filter can have a negative effect on your overall health and well-being. It's important to change your filter regularly and keep your air quality fresh.

Medicine

Most medications come with a raft of side effects, some of which are more bothersome than others. A change in the way you perceive taste is one of these unfortunate by-products. Even over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like antihistamines can affect the taste buds, as can common antibiotics. That's because the meds might be affecting your sense of smell or the amount of saliva that you produce-both vital factors in the way we perceive and enjoy different flavors.

If the food you cook doesn't taste the way you expect (even when you've followed the recipe to the letter), chances are there's a valid explanation. Don't be tempted to over-season your dishes as a result-use the above information as your guide so you can rule out any outside factors.

Here's another article you might like: How to Create Healthy Meals That Children Will Love

Hope you listen in on my new Podcast The Maria Liberati Show beginning on April 15th..the first segment is coffee, espresso, cappuccino..oh my!! with special interview guests-

* Simonetta Lein,one of the world's most influential fashion bloggers telling me about the fashion of coffee and Philip Dobard from the Food and Beverage Institute in Los Angeles telling me about the interesting history and past of coffee...