For example, a treatment for Crohn's disease, an inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, is an antimicrobial drug called metronidazole, which may cause a terrible metallic taste in foods. Yet there are other effective ways to treat this ailment. Another strategy is to make foods zestier and more aromatic by adding fruit juices and flavor enhancers, such as butter, cheese and dairy flavors and monosodium glutamate. For people who can't tolerate MSG, eating as much as three grams is safe, according to the Food and Drug Administration. More than that can cause a number of symptoms including headache, nausea, tingling and breathing difficulties.
Flavor enhancers are available at grocery stores and from commercial suppliers.
Third, to make individual flavors more distinct and satisfying, it's better to prepare the components of a meal separately instead of mixing them together, as in a casserole. It's also better to graze the plate while eating, Dr. Schiffman says, because taste receptors on the tongue become desensitized after a few bites of the same food. Like sweet, sour, bitter and salty tastes, some component in fat may activate taste nerves, research suggests. Older adults need at least four times more fat than younger people do to detect the fat. Well, they need more salt just to detect it in the first place.