I have started to notice that at the ripe old age of 21, that I am starting to eat foods that I never enjoyed as a child.

As one is expected to do in searching information on a topic they are interested about, I Googled it. I Googled the following: “taste buds change when you get older”. What I found was interesting, but also a little scary. Time is not on my side, and I need to now try every type of food group...and here is why!

When I was a kid I was never one for salads, Chinese food, or eggs. Now, I can't imagine life without salad, I crave Chinese food almost every other day, and cook myself eggs at least three times a week for after the gym protein. It is a good thing that I have acquired a new desire for these fun foods that are healthy, and less of a desire for the bad like very sugary candy or even soda. My food habit 12-year-old self probably wouldn't recognize me!!

In case you don't know, a person’s sense of taste and smell change with age. Between the ages of 40 and 50, the number of taste buds one has decreases, and the rest begin to shrink. By the age of 60, many people tend to lose the ability to decipher the elements that makes food salty, sweet, or even bitter. So, this information means a lot of things!

First, I need to now try all the food I can to take in all of the elements the food has to offer in all its' seasonings and crunchiness. I also need to try all types of food to experience all the senses that food can arouse. I also need to eat more of favorite foods because by 60 years old I might not even know what I am eating with my eyes shut! (I don’t usually eat with my eyes shut, but I would like my taste buds to know what I am eating besides relying on my eyes to tell me). I need to be more aware of the expiration of foods because my taste buds won't know that my milk is sour in my cereal.

In many ways, I am glad I googled my interest in my growing taste buds, but now I need to try everything the planet can offer that is edible, oh, and tasty! Don't take this advice lightly, eat away, enjoy all the food you can before you can't taste it anymore! Eat before you lose them!