When an elderly husband says his food doesn't taste right. Any advice?

His taste buds have changed. Before my father had a stroke, he loved sauerkraut, tomato catsup, and pickled food. After his stroke, he didn't care anymore for sour food, sweet food, salty food. Just go with the flow. You may have to go through several food before he finds the 'right' one.

Try spicing up his food. Add more lemon, barbcue sauce, etc.. Memorize the ones that didn't work. Well.. as I'm typing this, the page is blurring. Time to hit the sack.

Fancicoffee7, is your husband using any toothpaste/mouth wash that says "whitening" or any tooth whitening strips.... as I found for myself it made my sense of taste for certain items to disappear.... after a couple weeks of stop using such whitening items, my sense of taste came back.

my understanding is that the older we get our taste buds do change and things we used to like now taste different. I think also some older people like more sweet things than normal. unfortunately my mother had to cook all meat to death before my father could chew it, only partial on bottom and 1 tooth on top, but he sure likes sweets (91 yr old).

The area of the brain that deals with the sense of smell is one of the first parts of the brain to be affected by Alzheimer's. The tongue for the most part only senses sweet, salt, sour and bitter. If you can't smell, then nothing is going to taste right. (Like when you have a head cold).

I think when I reach - I don't know - 80? - I am going to quit taking any meds that are going to make me live forever and only the ones that will prevent me from being uncomfortable. Then I am going to eat whatever I want! Also will always want a moderate amount of exercise, particularly doing a little gardening, not because I have to but because I like to. If I want a big red steak, some Lemonheads followed by ice cream and then who knows what I can't see what the big deal is. I am only being semi flippant here. Sometimes I think we forget none of us are getting out of here alive and our elderly parents become projects. It's well intentioned but what is the end goal?

No, he's using regular toothpaste. I have tried BBQ sauce and he likes it. I am making changes, and I had thought that his taste buds might be changing. Thanks for the advice.

My Mom's taste buds changed too. I reverted back to her old favorites pb&j and chocolate ice cream. As she faded into dementia, things from her youth seemed more satisfying.

Why not just ask him what he likes? Taste buds change as well as all of the above as we get older. My MIL who passed away at 93 last year really loved her sweets. There was a lot of resistance in the family to 'letting her have dessert before dinner'. She used to say she couldn't 'really taste anything' but she loved sweet stuff. When you are 93 why not?

Same with my Mom, who is 96 years old, all the sweets she puts down on her shopping list for me to purchase... makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it :0

MY mother does the same thing as long as he is eating that good. Let him eat what ever he want and if he not getting the right source of nutrition give him ensure or boost and he will be fine. Unless he losing a lot of weight tell the doctor. Mostly they going to put him on what I told you. If he misses a meal give one in replacement of meal