What is taste aversion?

Posted by Master, Doctor Mai Vien Phuong - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

After you get a cold after eating a particular food, you will avoid the food you ate before or have negative associations with the food you ate. That's called taste aversion.

Taste disliking is the tendency to avoid or create negative associations with foods you ate just before getting sick.
Many people don't like the taste buds and they are often the subject of conversations about food. When someone asks, "What food don't you like?" Many people can think of a story about a time running away with a food they now refuse to eat.

An example of conditioned taste aversion is getting the flu after eating a particular food, and after that happens, you avoid the food you ate before you got sick. This can happen even if the food doesn't cause illness because it doesn't spread this way.
This is called conditioned aversion because you have trained yourself to avoid food even though it has nothing to do with your illness. This is considered a one-time trial conditioning method because it only takes one conditioning session to avoid the food.
Taste aversion can occur both unconsciously and consciously. Sometimes, you may subconsciously avoid a food without knowing why. The degree of conditioned aversion to taste often depends on the amount of food you consume and how sick you are.

Usually, taste aversion happens after you eat something and then get sick. This usually includes nausea and vomiting. The more intense the illness, the longer the aversion to taste.
Certain conditions or illnesses, unrelated to the food you are eating, can cause nausea and vomiting, contributing to a loss of appetite:
Chemotherapy Anorexia Liver failure Liver failure Eating Degrees Ear infections Motion sickness Rotavirus pregnancy and morning sickness Colds and flu Drinking too much alcohol Eating too much

Disliking food is largely psychological. You don't have a food allergy, your mind just associates the food with the time you were sick. Here are some ways to try and fight food hate:
Make a new association: You can associate the taste of coconut with the time when you were sick after eating coconut cream pie, so you associate coconut with vomiting. Instead, try combining coconut with tropical islands, vacations or consciously relaxing on a warm beach.
Prepare food in a new way: If you get sick after eating an omelet, try to prepare the egg another way - such as an omelet - to avoid making the egg sick.
Increase your exposure: Slowly increasing your exposure to a taste you don't like can prevent you from feeling anorexia or aversion to the taste. Try just smelling it first, then tasting a small amount.

Taste disliking can be a sign of a more serious problem like an eating disorder. If you don't like how your taste buds affect your ability to eat well, talk to your doctor about the possibility of an eating disorder.
Taste disturbance often occurs when you get nauseous or vomit after eating something and then associate the food with illness. Sometimes, taste aversion will fade over time. However, some people said they hated the taste years after the incident.
If you are feeling extremely disgusted with the taste that keeps you from getting proper nutrition, make an appointment with your doctor. They can guide you in the right direction to specialists or treatments that can help you get rid of your taste buds behind.
Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading medical doctors, modern equipment and technology, but also stands out for its examination and consultation services. comprehensive and professional medical consultation and treatment; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space.

Articles source references: mayoclinic.org, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov