Tips to help your food taste better

Mouth care

• Keep your mouth and tongue clean and fresh. Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day or after each meal.
• If you have dentures, clean them after every meal and soak them overnight in a suitable denture cleansing solution
• To prevent your tongue becoming coated, clean your tongue with a small, soft or baby toothbrush. Avoid adult or large, hard-bristled toothbrushes and tongue cleaners. This will help prevent food tasting unpleasant and will make eating more enjoyable
• Check your mouth and tongue regularly as ulcers and thrush (white patches and a heavily coated tongue) can affect your taste. It can be easily treated with medications – speak to your doctor or nurse if you are worried
• A dry mouth can affect your taste. Drink plenty of fluids and talk to your doctor or nurse if the problem persists
• If your mouth is sore, ask your doctor to advise you on appropriate medication and/or mouth wash to help.

Food and drink

• Eat the food you like the taste of and avoid those that taste peculiar to you. Try any problem foods every couple of weeks, as their taste may have returned to normal.
• If food tastes bland, try adding strong tasting herbs and spices (see the list at end of this booklet). Choose strong tasting foods such as strong/mature cheese, dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids or curry. However if your mouth is sore, be careful with spices like chilli, fizzy drinks and acidic fruits and their juices (such as lemon, orange, and pineapple)
• Sharp/tart tasting foods (for example, lemon, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, boiled sweets, mints) and cold, fizzy drinks (such as bitter lemon) may help stimulate your taste buds, increase the flow of saliva and get rid of any unpleasant taste in your mouth. However, some fruit juices, in particular cranberry, grapefruit and Seville orange juice, may affect the way some drugs work. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice
• If meat tastes metallic or bitter, try marinating it in lemon juice, wine, barbeque or sweet and sour sauce, Worcestershire sauce or soya sauce before cooking
• Use plastic utensils rather than metal ones if food tastes metallic
• Cold meats may taste better served with pickle and chutney
• If meat tastes unpleasant, do not worry – fish, milk, cheese, nuts and pulses such as lentils and beans are good sources of protein too
• If you experience bitter tastes, try sweeter food (not low calorie)
• If sweet foods taste too sweet, try a selection of savoury foods, or add strong seasoning or flavouring
• Some people find cold or warm foods are easier to manage than hot foods
• If tea and coffee tastes strange, try milky drinks, fruit juices and fizzy drinks (avoid drinks containing artificial sweeteners as these can sometimes leave a metallic taste)
• The flavours often unaffected are strawberry flavours, tropical fruit juice, tomato, grapes, grapefruit, melon, avocado, coconut milk, salmon and cod, eggs, barley sugars, roast potatoes and chips.