Olfactory sensory and gustatory both to function well depends on the nerve receptors, the G protein that are found in our mouth and nose and they are both connected to the brain function through neurological connections.

A healthy person has got more than 10.000 taste buds and about 100 million of receptors for the sense of smell.

• Both the sense of smell and taste are connected to the nerve brain function and in particular to certain cranial nerves. And both need certain nutrients such as sodium and energy production to make up either the smell or the taste that we need.
• So, lots of vitamins and minerals from our diet, including some sodium or salt.

• The main sensory tastes are five: sour, sweet, salt, bitter and umami taste, which taste of meat. Any other taste is usually made of the combination of these five primary ones.

• If we eat a lot of salty foods though, our taste of salty food will be more developed than any other taste and if we eat more of the sweet food than our sweet taste is more. The good news is that if you avoid too much of the salty foods or sweet food, the taste changes within two weeks, and hence you might be craving less of too much salt or too much sweet, this goes for meat or any of the primary tastes.

• In a healthy person, any food that does not taste good will be avoided, this is part of our survival mechanism. I wonder if with allergies, many people avoid certain foods after they reacted once with them as part of the survival mechanism. This mechanism is the connection with the neurological part of our brain.

• Usually with NAET method, that brain connection to a certain allergen is rebooted and hence a healthy food or food group can be reintroduced without the brain giving the signal to attack it through the immune system.

• New olfactory receptors (neuron receptors) are replaced every month, and they are the only mature neurons receptors that would do this in our body. The smell receptors and neurological pathway are connected also to the tear glands, hence when there is a strong odor usually will lead to crying.

• Did you know that women often have a higher sense of smell than men, especially during ovulation?

• Did you know that smoking reduces the sense of smell strongly, and in long term smoking will damage the olfactory receptors permanently?

• Age also reduces the sense of smell, from 65 years old onwards.

• Did you know that zinc deficiency can lead also to loss of sense of smell and taste?

• Head injury can reduce or destroy your sense of smell and taste and certain drugs, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer and anti-histamine, steroids, will all reduce the sense of smell.

• Did you know that emotions are also connected to the sense of taste? Hence it is possible that when we crave certain foods, might be due to the state we are in. Recognizing that state of emotion can also stop craving and eating certain unhealthy foods.

• Eating sweet foods evoke emotions of pleasure and bitter ones can cause expression of disgust even in newborn babies. It is because of this link that humans and animal learn to avoid certain foods to avoid having an upset digestive system.

© Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) R-Nutritional Therapy – NAET – R-Craniosacral Therapy – NLP practitioner – Certified Angel Guide