My "tastes" are changing...

Over43 · Post by **Over43** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:56 am

I don't know if it is an age issue, or what is going on, but for years I always stayed away from spicy/hot foods, but within the last month I have been craving spicy/hot foods. I have been dumping Vietnamese hot sauce on dishes, sweet chili sauce, jalapeno stuffed olives, tonight I did something I have never done, ate 4 habanero/mango hot wings from Domino's (Will be doubling up on the Immodium before work tomorrow!

). My wife can't believe what she is seeing.

On the flip side I haven't had a taste for salt. We ate at the Sparks, Nevada In-n-Out Buger (which I generally love) Memorial Day weekend and I could barely finish it seemed so salty.

I must be going through male menopause or something?

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:10 am

As a female who has gone through menopause, I can't say that changes in taste were one of the symptoms, nor were cravings for hot/spicy foods.

I have found that taste buds are changing and that spicy foods are more tolerable now, but I still don't crave or especially like them. They just aren't as unpleasant now as previously.

The flip side of this is that I have less tolerance for fresh herbs. Too much used in a dish doesn't enhance it, but makes it taste too herbaceous. A little goes a long way.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:36 pm

Hi Over43

I thought I'd respond to your post with some information I learned while in massage school.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each internal yin/yang organ pair which represents one of the 5 elements in nature, has a corresponding, season emotion, body part ruled, and even taste and smell.. sometimes when we crave a certain taste more than others, or even a revulsion to a certain taste, it means there is something going on in that element within us.. possibly an imbalance of energy.

These five elemental pairs and their corresponding related tastes are

Wood: Liver and Gallbladder - Sour
Fire: Heart and Pericardium - Burnt or Bitter
Earth: Spleen and Stomach - Sweet
Metal: Lung and Large Intestine - Spicy
Water: Kidney and Bladder - Salty

Over43 · Post by **Over43** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:43 am

gratefuldeb67 wrote:Hi Over43
I thought I'd respond to your post with some information I learned while in massage school.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each internal yin/yang organ pair which represents one of the 5 elements in nature, has a corresponding, season emotion, body part ruled, and even taste and smell.. sometimes when we crave a certain taste more than others, or even a revulsion to a certain taste, it means there is something going on in that element within us.. possibly an imbalance of energy.

These five elemental pairs and their corresponding related tastes are

Wood: Liver and Gallbladder - Sour
Fire: Heart and Pericardium - Burnt or Bitter
Earth: Spleen and Stomach - Sweet
Metal: Lung and Large Intestine - Spicy
Water: Kidney and Bladder - Salty

Well I have had allergies the last month or so, more than normal for this time of year. That would be lungs...

Thanks for the info.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:25 am

you're welcome... yes, allergies is related to lung and spice stimulates lung chi, so that's probably why you're craving spice