As others have stated, our senses of olfaction and taste can decline as we age (see ref), impacting nutrition and interest in food.
3 hours ago, liuzhou said:Indeed our sense of both smell and taste* do tend to fade over time (as does sight), but that strikes me as a cue to up seasoning and spicing and not to retreat into further blandness as it was being suggested some people do....
I can understand why this loss can encourage some to retreat to more familiar foods rather than explorations into the unknown. I lost my sense of smell for a number of years. For a long time, I lost my appetite and all interest in food. Why bother when I couldn't taste it? Eventually, I put more emphasis on choosing foods that provided contrasts in texture and taste but I tended to stick with familiar recipes so I could rely on olfactory memories to "fill in the blanks" of the missing flavors that we sense through olfaction.
I'm ever so grateful that over the last 15 years, my sense of smell has slowly and gradually returned, not exactly to where it was, but to the point where I can try new recipes and enjoy new flavors. I've always been one to enjoy trying new foods but I can understand how that interest could be tempered due to sensory challenges - due to aging or something else.
