Due To Their Loss of Smell, Covid-19 Survivors Have To Get Creative In The Kitchen
Dr. Alex Yeats who is an emergency physician has taken out an amazing dinner option one day. According to his wife, she has nothing to do with it even though it does look so appetizing. Sarah Yeats who is an emergency nurse from Atlantic Beach, Florida said, “It was black bean pasta with almonds and turmeric chunks and I was like ‘I’m not eating that, it’s disgusting”.
The husband and wife work at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Sarah Yeats had contracted Covid-19 at work and brought it home in August.
According to a report, people who have been contracted with COVID-19 usually lost much of their sense of smell and also taste. The condition is called Anosmia which means a condition known as “smell blindness” or even loss of smell. This is actually a common symptom of COVID-19. Despite having the symptom, people still need to eat and of course, they have to modify their meals as a result.
Picture: Google
Because of the restriction of not having the ability to smell and taste correct, they have to be creative when they are preparing their meal so that they get enough flavor and nutrition in their meal for them to eat. These are some simple tricks that they follow to be creative in the kitchen:
1) Serving New Flavor Combinations On The Table
Dr. Marta Becker who is an otolaryngologist said, “Some sensations of our food such as spicy hot pepper, mintiness are things we experience with the hot and cold sensors of our mouth”. She also added, “You can get the acid, heat, even saltiness, but not the layers of things like cilantro and chipotle”. Because of that, texture, color, and even rituals around cooking have become more important to some people right now rather than just the taste.
Alex Yeats said that texture has become a lot more important when cooking. He and Sarah Yeats tend to eat salmon several times a week because it has a fuller, more umami body, and a better mouthfeel than a flaky white fish, which just tastes dry for them. Sarah Yeats also stated, “I wanted to make sure there was green in everything because foods that are white and gray, they’re just so unappealing now”. Immersing in the processes of cooking and meal planning each week also helped her keep interested in food prep. She added, “Having Covid inspired us to use our raclette oven because it’s a process for cooking that makes it fun”.
2) Odd Odors Are A Promising Sign
Phantom smells are actually a common topic in the online Covid-19 support group. The couple said that they have gotten whiffs of jet fuel and cigarette smoke where there was none. Becker said, “A lot of people get trash, or smoke, something rotten or burning rubber”. She also added, “It’s really gross, but it’s usually a good sign things are trying to sort themselves out. When the recovery happens, sometimes the wires can get crossed”.
3) Scent Training Helps
“Scent Training” is a method of using things like rose, lemons, cloves, garlic, eucalyptus, and menthols that have a really strong smell to retrain the brain. Becker said it’s a tactic she recommends to patients since there is no cure for anosmia. She mentioned, “Retraining your brain to what things smell like so you can remember is a bit mysterious. But using the memory to retrain the neurons can work in both directions. The memory can help you smell, and the smell can help you remember”.