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Healthy Aging: Tips for tastier aging Sunday Apr 2, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Sharon Johnson for the Mail Tribune Did you know our taste buds change as we age? After age 40, the number of taste buds we have begins to shrink, “losing mass vital to their operation,” as some experts explain it. After age 60, we may lose our ability to differentiate between sweet, salty, sour and bitter foods. I was skeptical the first time I heard this. So I tried an experiment. I was fairly sure there would be no change in my ability to identify the salty taste of a dill pickle or recognize the sour taste of a lemon. It was convenient that these two foods happened to be in our refrigerator. The dill pickles were in the back of the second shelf from the top behind the mustard. They were a bit on the dated side, so they might not have been the best choice for this totally unscientific experiment, but the lemons were plump, bright yellow and just-purchased. I cleansed my palate with a large glass of water. Then I focused thoughtfully and recalled the best taste I had ever experienced, in terms of saltiness, while eating a crunchy dill pickle. I remembered the moment well. It had been at a picnic decades earlier — lots of big, fat, salty pickles. I ate several. On a scale of 1-10, the salty taste I recalled was a definite 10. I tasted my just-found pickle. And I made my assessment on that same 1-10 scale. The saltiness of the pickle was nowhere close to my original recall. Have you ever wanted to sprinkle table salt a dill pickle? That was my reaction. Continuing my taste test, I recalled my first experience with lemons. A diet plan I launched years ago was my entry to using lemon juice instead of salad dressing. The juice of a just-squeezed lemon and a little sea salt sprinkled on a bowl of arugula can be delicious. But I realized half a lemon had become an entire lemon, and I was now using greater amounts of lemon juice on my salads to get the remembered taste. And I also realized I was adding more sea salt. Changes in the perceived taste of foods may explain why some older adults gain weight. We keep eating more food in the hope something will taste “just like it used to taste.” Ironically, it may also explain why many older adults lose weight, because “nothing tastes good anymore.” And there are other things to consider about a changed sense of taste: over-salting foods or over-eating salty foods can lead to hypertension and related health problems. If this gets your attention and you want “tastier” aging, or if salt consumption is an issue in your life, I have a few ideas. Did you know that basil and cardamom are good salt substitutes? Grating the peel of a lemon or lime to create a zest before you squeeze out the juice on that bowl of greens is another approach. Or try finely chopped ginger. And think about using more minced or powdered garlic. You have choices in everything you do. This is a relatively simple one. — Sharon Johnson is a retired Oregon State University associate professor. Reach her at [email protected].