Do Taste Buds Change after going vegan?

[juliii]

I’ve been vegan for almost a year now, and I swear my cravings have totally shifted. I used to hate mushrooms - now I can’t get enough of them. Also, my sweet tooth toned down massively. Has anyone else noticed big changes in what foods you enjoy post-transition? I’m genuinely curious if it’s psychological, hormonal, or just taste bud evolution.
Would love to hear your experiences - weird food glow-ups or cravings you never saw coming.

 

[KLS52]

My daughter insists my taste buds have changed because any time I ask her to taste something that I think is good, she tells me I'm crazy and that it isn't good, it's just that my taste buds have changed lol.

 

[Lou]

taste buds can and do change. I don't know if being vegan has anything to do with it

taste perception can be influenced by age, medications, medical conditions, nutrient deficiencies and even lifestyle choices like smoking.

Why Taste Buds Change: 7 Causes and Treatments

Taste buds can change for a variety of reasons, including something as simple as the common cold. More serious conditions can also cause taste bud changes.

www.healthline.com

Also it's been reported that eating a healthier diet can change our gut bacteria. It's been reported that some gut bacteria can hijack the nervous system and cause cravings for sweets.

Is eating behavior manipulated by the gastrointestinal microbiota? Evolutionary pressures and potential mechanisms - PMC

Microbes in the gastrointestinal tract are under selective pressure to manipulate host eating behavior to increase their fitness, sometimes at the expense of host fitness. Microbes may do this through two potential strategies: (i) generating ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[KLS52]

I wish there was something that would suppress my cravings for sugar/sweets. Even when I gave it up for lent one year, it didn't help at all. It really has a hold on me. I can/have cut way back but I still have moments where I give in.

 

[jalan]

I’ve been vegan for almost a year now, and I swear my cravings have totally shifted. I used to hate mushrooms - now I can’t get enough of them. Also, my sweet tooth toned down massively. Has anyone else noticed big changes in what foods you enjoy post-transition? I’m genuinely curious if it’s psychological, hormonal, or just taste bud evolution.
Would love to hear your experiences - weird food glow-ups or cravings you never saw coming.

IMO, the standard western diet has people’s taste buds tuned to fat, sugar and salt, and while it may be difficult at first, research suggests that our taste buds adapt to the new foods, not to mention my own experience… Adapting can be quite rapid, sometimes only a couple of weeks to begin to prefer the new diet… However, psychological and emotional processes; such as, indoctrination and peer pressure can be barriers, also… thx for your post, juliii, I’m sure that many would wonder about the change of tastes…

I’ve been vegan for almost a year now, and I swear my cravings have totally shifted. I used to hate mushrooms - now I can’t get enough of them. Also, my sweet tooth toned down massively. Has anyone else noticed big changes in what foods you enjoy post-transition? I’m genuinely curious if it’s psychological, hormonal, or just taste bud evolution.
Would love to hear your experiences - weird food glow-ups or cravings you never saw coming.

 

[shyvas]

No as my food is virtually the same. I'm always a bit surprised that people say that all of a sudden, they've discovered fruit and vegetables since they've gone vegan.

 

[PTree15]

I wouldn't say they changed after going vegan, but since cutting down on salt and sugar over the years, I really notice it when something is too salty for me. I used to love salt, but now I prefer it in small doses or not at all. Same for sugar. Some treats are too sweet for me -- words that never would have come out of my mouth years ago, lol.

 

[KLS52]

I wouldn't say they changed after going vegan, but since cutting down on salt and sugar over the years, I really notice it when something is too salty for me. I used to love salt, but now I prefer it in small doses or not at all. Same for sugar. Some treats are too sweet for me -- words that never would have come out of my mouth years ago, lol.

I don't know why that never happens to me lol. Im not sure how long it takes...I would think after five months some kind of change would kick in where I don't crave it so much.

 

[jalan]

I don't know why that never happens to me lol. Im not sure how long it takes...I would think after five months some kind of change would kick in where I don't crave it so much.

Imo, it’s not always physical. Sometimes there’s a trigger, I’ll see someone else eating that particular food, or an ad and immediately I remember how good it used to taste… so many variables involved

 

[jalan]

I wouldn't say they changed after going vegan, but since cutting down on salt and sugar over the years, I really notice it when something is too salty for me. I used to love salt, but now I prefer it in small doses or not at all. Same for sugar. Some treats are too sweet for me -- words that never would have come out of my mouth years ago, lol.

True, true… for me, although a savoury person, whenever I do crave sweets, I go for Timtams… I haven’t tried any for years, but the other week I had a go, for a special treat… Well, never again, cause they were so sweet they burnt my throat. Not enjoyable at all… Oh, I have to add that after the fact, I feel a little guilty, since there’s milk in the chocolate

 

[silva]

I don't know why that never happens to me lol. Im not sure how long it takes...I would think after five months some kind of change would kick in where I don't crave it so much.

When I've given up sugar, but using dates for sweetening things, I lose my craving for it, but always comes back
I love salt though, but my taste seems to fluctuate for no reason. I had been thinking I'd really lost it, then it came with a vengence

I can't say my tastes changed after giving up animal products, but probably because I'm not eating anything new. My tastes changed a lot anyway

 

[Tom L.]

@PTree15 @KLS52 I don't think my taste buds have changed. I have always liked salt and sweet things, but I had to cut back on sugary things since I was found to be pre-diabetic ~5 years ago. The good news is that it paid off (my A1c levels have been steady and normal for at least the past 2 years) and that I don't crave sweets nearly as much now. I chose to cut back on salt because I found it was making me excessively thirsty (not that I don't still stay hydrated these days).

 

[Graeme M]

I'd say our broader taste perception remains the same, ie sweet, sour, bitter, etc, but our flavour preferences change with a whole bunch of subjective factors. And yeah, I think changing one's diet quite a bit - as in choosing to become mostly plant-based - has an effect. I enjoy far more interesting and tasty dishes now than when I was say 20 years younger, because mostly I just ate meat and a couple of vegies. One surprise is that I don't like cow's milk in coffee now, it tastes greasy and bitter, whereas my soy milk is just a much nicer taste. I also eat far fewer sweet things, though sweetness is still a good thing.

 

[alleycat]

True, true… for me, although a savoury person, whenever I do crave sweets, I go for Timtams… I haven’t tried any for years, but the other week I had a go, for a special treat… Well, never again, cause they were so sweet they burnt my throat. Not enjoyable at all… Oh, I have to add that after the fact, I feel a little guilty, since there’s milk in the chocolate

I see you're in aus if you are near a woolies supermarket the do have a vegan alternative to tim tams. They are a woolworths brand called gluten free double choc biscuits, but they are also dairy and egg free. The only ingredient I'm not sure of is what is listed as flavour ( natural flavour ) They do have a range of these gluten free biscuits, not sure how many are vegan as none are listed as vegan..
The ginger biscuit ingredients are all vegan. My O.H only buys biscuits from this range now even though he's not vegan and I don't eat many at all. But I can only drink coffee if I have a ginger biscuit too. I don't go to the super market so not sure what aisle they're in

 

[alleycat]

I'm not sure if taste changes because of going vegan, I know mine has changed massively but some of that is because of my illness. At the moment I have baby mouth, nothing to spicy no salt. The spiciest I can eat is a gingernut biscuit with a cup of coffee.