Covid changed my taste, need ideas!

Ready2BFitMom · June 2021

I caught covid back in December and my taste still isn't 100% back to normal and it makes it very hard to eat sometimes.
However I can taste sweet things really well. What are some suggestions of foods/meals that have a sweetness to them while still being a healthy option?

SuzySunshine99 · June 2021

First of all, have you been vaccinated yet? There is some evidence that the vaccine helps people with long-lasting COVID effects.

As for the sweetness, maybe you can add a sweet element or condiment to whatever dish you are making. A fruit salsa is good on fish or other meats. Sweet sauces, like a sweet-and-sour, teriyaki, or honey-based sauces are good on meats and vegetables. It doesn't take much of these sauces to add some sweetness to the meal.

Squash and sweet potatoes can be made sweeter when roasted with a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Good luck, I hope your sense of taste gets back to normal soon.

Lietchi · June 2021

Oven roasting vegetables can bring out their sweetness, especially root vegetables, but also pumpkin for example.

BarbaraHelen2013 · June 2021

I’d second the Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Roasted Peppers - Red, Yellow & Orange roast up with a sweetness, as do tomatoes and Red Onions.

Lots of Asian style stir fry sauces have a sweet edge if you like those. Add pineapple for an extra touch of sweetness unless you’re one of the people who can’t do hot fruit!

Throw a handful of dried cranberries or dried apricots, chopped small into salads or stir through rice.

Without knowing what your preferred food choices are that’s about all I can come up with right now.

I know my daughter struggled with taste and smell for a long time too. She had Covid in October and discovered Smoked Paprika or Franks Hot Sauce helped her to get flavour out of food. She’s almost 100% back to normal now. So with a bit of luck you’re past the worst of it and it’ll slowly improve over the next couple of months. Good luck 😊

AnnPT77 · June 2021

Caramelized onions - slow-cook in a heavy skillet with just a minimum of olive or other good oil until soft and brown, use in sauces, soups, stews, or even combine with vinegars as a dressing. Prunes or dates - to eat, or cut up/pureed into things. Pretty much any sweet fruit, and you can use them in savory dishes. Apples in curries are a classic, for example.

kshama2001 · June 2021

My garden is producing strawberries right now, and I am eating them like crazy. Lots of sweetness for few calories!

When I do have a high calorie dessert, I also have a few ounces of berries with it - this lets me feel satisfied with a smaller portion of the calorie bomb.

kshama2001 · June 2021

I had the tick-borne illness Anaplasmosis last month and noticed a few changes in my tastes, which went away shortly after started antibiotics.

First of all, my appetite plummeted. I didn't log several days, but one day I did and only grossed 744 calories. The last time that has happened was...never.

The next thing is what this thread reminded me of - I lost interest in chocolate (again, has never happened before) but was really loving fruit cups, especially the juice.)

kauaicarolann · June 2021

So sorry about losing your sense of taste due to Covid. Replying just to say I'm in the same boat since Feb 2020 along with phantom smell of the most putrid, stale cigarette smoke. There's good days and bad days (which are fewer and farther apart). Hang in there, you'll make it through!

acpgee · June 2021

I second @AnnPT77 on caramelized onions.

However, my method is to put a scant amount of olive oil at the bottom the rice cooker or slow cooker. Top with 6-8 thinly sliced onions (halve and use the slicing blade of the food processor if you want to do this tear free). Turn the machine on for about 4-5 hours, stirring every hour or so. If the finished product looks too wet or too blonde, continue to cook with the lid off for a while. Freeze in silicon muffin tins or ice cube trays, transferring to a ziplock bag once frozen. Makes it easy to add caramelized onion to whatever you are cooking.

Using the rice cooker or slow cooker turns a recipe that normally calls for an hour of standing and stirring into a turn it on and forget about it recipe.

Kabootom · June 2021

I am surprised that it took 1 year to reinstate the taste buds yet not fully recovered, might be there is some other deficiency of iron or other vitamin, you should consult a doctor now.

dfwesq · June 2021

Red peppers are pretty sweet, raw or cooked. Depending on the recipe, braised red cabbage can be sweet - especially with apples and either allspice or cloves.

nossmf · June 2021

Another vote for red peppers and caramelized onions. I'll also add sauteed mushrooms and a splash of teriyaki sauce.

My son lost his ability to taste salt, so has been substituting other spices from my spice rack on his food to compensate... lemon pepper is his current favorite.

Ainadan · June 2021

I'm in the same boat. Caught it in January and I still can't taste some things (specifically, peanuts and whatever makes Pad Thai taste good. It's tragic since those were some of my favorite things). Yellow squash and zucchini are some of my favorite things right now, along with bell peppers. Actually I think sauteed bell peppers and onions taste better now than they used to.

Covid changed my taste, need ideas!

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