How come when you are sick you can not taste your food?

Question

how long will it be before i can taste again?

Answer 1

Your sense of taste actually comes via your sense of smell. For example, if you hold your nose, your food will have no taste. As soon as your nasal congestion goes away, your sense of taste will return.

Answer 2

Hi
You didn't specify the illness s the cause could be due to anything. If you have a cold or flu or anything like that, usually the mucus membranes (lining in the nose and throat) sweel and a lot of mucous and sputum will line cover the tongue and throat making food taste bland. Also, this could be due to any medicines you may take. I suggest brushing your tongue with a toothbrush and rinsing with warm salt water ( to shrink the mucous membranes). Do this a few times a day. Once you are well - get rid of the toothbrush and buy a new one. Also keep the contaminated toothbrush away from other's toohbrushes so you don't contaminate their brushes.

Answer 3

When you are better you will be able to taste. Now your tongue can register things like salty/sweet because of tatse buds, but taste comes entirely from the nose smelling. So when your nose is plugged/stufy you cannot taste.

Answer 4

To oversimplify things a bit, when you have a cold, you are suffering from a rhinovirus (affects your nose). Your sense of taste is dependent largely on your ability to smell.

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/taste_buds.html