Zinc Filled Foods To Keep Your Taste Buds Healthy
Zinc is essential for 100’s of functions in the body and it is also important for smell, taste and saliva production. Your taste cells are located in the taste buds that are visible on the tongue. When you bite into a juicy portobello burger these taste receptors pass messages about the taste of the food to the brain. The messages from the taste buds also trigger your digestive system to get ready for food to be ingested. Zinc is used in the taste buds and is important in their proliferation and zinc deficiency has shown a reduction in taste buds.
Zinc is also used in the production of saliva, its secretion and the pH of saliva. As a component of saliva it acts as an anti-bacterial agent to protect oral health. Saliva is important for taste as it transports taste chemicals in the mouth.
Understanding the importance of zinc to taste and smell we can understand how it has been linked with eating and taste disorders. Taste disorders are on the increase and could in part be linked to potentially increasing zinc deficiency. So what can be causing zinc to be lost? Here are some common everyday factors that can lead to zinc deficiency.
Vegan Cabbage Rolls In Tomato Sauce
Diet: Eating a diet of processed food can deplete zinc as its absorption is blocked by phosphoric acid. Sodas and flavored water drinks, cereal bars, processed dairy, processed meats are all culprits that can hasted Zinc depletion. Zinc is readily available in animal products, so those on vegan and vegetarian diets are more at risk. This is compounded by soils being low in zinc, so vegetables may contain less zinc than they did traditionally.
Medications: Many medications can lead to zinc deficiency such as protein pump inhibitors, antacids, anti-inflammatory medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, oral contraceptives, ace inhibitors for blood pressure and diuretics to name a few.
Digestive disorders: People with digestive disorders may also have poor zinc absorption as well as poor absorption of many other minerals.
If you are considering that you may have a poor sense of taste and smell other sign to look for are:
- White spots on the nails
- Mouth ulcers
- Kids may also suffer from regular diarrhoea
- Poor immunity
- Poor night vision
- Acne
- Sugar cravings
- Poor growth in children
- Wounds that heal slowly or won’t heal.
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