Weird Taste Changes in my mouth since going Vegan

daxm

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I'm 2.5 months in on my Vegan lifestyle change. I've noticed something "weird" since I started this journey.

For the first month my mouth constantly tasted sweet. Like I had just finished a candy and the residual sugar was still roaming around my mouth. Even if I drank lots of water and/or ate something savory. My guess was that I had basically sugar in my saliva.

Then the 2nd month or so my mouth didn't have that sweet "aftertaste" in it but went back to normal.

However, for the past 2 weeks or so my mouth now tastes salty. It is like I just rinsed my mouth out with salt water. I don't like this state and I hope to return to "normal" soon.

Anyone else experience this? In my "past" life of being a non-vegan I don't recall having these lingering persistent states of taste in my mouth.
 
welcome to the forum and congrats on your decision to be vegan

How much water do you drink in a day? sometimes people drink too much without building up the amount over time and that can throw out the electrolyte balance in the body. The salt then comes in the mouth and throat and encourages you to drink more water which can lead to lots of things that are not good.

I would suggest that you consult a medical professional if this persists.

Emma JC
 
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I'm 2.5 months in on my Vegan lifestyle change. I've noticed something "weird" since I started this journey.

For the first month my mouth constantly tasted sweet. Like I had just finished a candy and the residual sugar was still roaming around my mouth. Even if I drank lots of water and/or ate something savory. My guess was that I had basically sugar in my saliva.

Then the 2nd month or so my mouth didn't have that sweet "aftertaste" in it but went back to normal.

However, for the past 2 weeks or so my mouth now tastes salty. It is like I just rinsed my mouth out with salt water. I don't like this state and I hope to return to "normal" soon.

Anyone else experience this? In my "past" life of being a non-vegan I don't recall having these lingering persistent states of taste in my mouth.
.
I've been a vegan for 29 years, and I've never had these symptoms. I've never heard of any other vegan having these symptoms, either.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published this report about taste disorders: Taste Disorders
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To say you're vegan just means you don't eat or use animal products.
There truly is nothing about not eating animal products that would cause strange tastes.
I've never experienced that, and it really is the first time I've ever heard it be questioned, and I've heard an awful lot of symptoms from new vegans.

There ARE reasons that cause odd tastes and joint pain and all kinds of things that are not related to diet. When you were eating meat did you blame new symptoms on meat? It would be more likely a cause!
Meat IS processed. Everything the animal eats is processed to become their muscles that we eat, which is why iron and many vitamins are so completely different when gotten from flesh than produce. Why heme iron and vitamin A are toxic in larger amounts
 
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Wow. I had no idea we did this. Our bodies are so smart.

The reason that I know this is that years and years ago I briefly considered working for one of those diet retail stores and they asked me to volunteer at one of them for a day or so to see if I was a good fit. I was put in the position of working with people who were on this diet and going over their "checklist" with them. One particular lady came in and she had been passing out and not feeling well.... when I looked at her checklist she did not have checks in the boxes for the 8 glasses of water that she was supposed to be drinking as part of the diet. When I asked her about it she said "oh, I don't bother checking the boxes as I am drinking way more than 8 glasses and I am still thirsty". I immediately turned her over to the onsite nurse who encouraged her to immediately go to the hospital as she could easily have died without help. (I know that I never should have been working in that position and I immediately quit as any company that would put me in charge of someone's health without the proper training is not a good company.)

Emma JC
 
The reason that I know this is that years and years ago I briefly considered working for one of those diet retail stores and they asked me to volunteer at one of them for a day or so to see if I was a good fit. I was put in the position of working with people who were on this diet and going over their "checklist" with them. One particular lady came in and she had been passing out and not feeling well.... when I looked at her checklist she did not have checks in the boxes for the 8 glasses of water that she was supposed to be drinking as part of the diet. When I asked her about it she said "oh, I don't bother checking the boxes as I am drinking way more than 8 glasses and I am still thirsty". I immediately turned her over to the onsite nurse who encouraged her to immediately go to the hospital as she could easily have died without help. (I know that I never should have been working in that position and I immediately quit as any company that would put me in charge of someone's health without the proper training is not a good company.)

Emma JC

1. and completely besides the point. Here in Ca - and maybe nationwide - it's illegal to work without pay - even on a temporary "trial" basis. There are exceptions. biggest one is that you can work for the federal gov't for free. Oh. you can volunteer at a nonprofit, too.

2. what was wrong with her? I was guessing diabetes but that is not usually life threatening.
 
I don't drink that much water. :)
In fact, I'd say that I drink less water now than before I went vegan.

8 - 8oz glasses is what, 1/2 gallon? That is probably all I do, on average.

The issue, to me, isn't as serious and what you all are concerned about. I was just commenting on how the ambient taste in my mouth went from "normal" to "sweet" to "normal" to "salty" since I've gone Vegan. I was curious if that transition happened to anyone else.

That said, if I'm minimizing some serious issue then tell me to go get it checked out. :)
 
So it turns out this is not as uncommon as I thought. It has a name: Taste Disorder.

Also, this is even more surprising because I have suffered from "Taste Disorder" for over 6 months. the cause of my taste disorder is well known: Radiation Therapy. and my doctors are aware of it. they even warned me about it before radiation started.

I just read up on it. The things that cause it are pretty obvious. Nothing related to diet anyway. The one thing mentioned in the article that might be of note is that it can be caused by dental problems.

The side effects don't seem to be that serious either except that they might interfere with a person maintaina a prescribed diet.

 
1. and completely besides the point. Here in Ca - and maybe nationwide - it's illegal to work without pay - even on a temporary "trial" basis. There are exceptions. biggest one is that you can work for the federal gov't for free. Oh. you can volunteer at a nonprofit, too.

2. what was wrong with her? I was guessing diabetes but that is not usually life threatening.

1. as it should be!
2. she was drinking too much water

Emma JC
 
1. as it should be!
2. she was drinking too much water

Emma JC

Working without pay could be a good way to gain experience. Or for an employer to evaluate an "iffy" prospect.

But why was she so thirsty? and why was that an emergency? Was it diabetes?
 
She also suggested I try TheraBreath. I may give this a try, too.

I'm seeing my ENT next week and I'll ask about these things before I pay for them.

I'll let you guys know what I find out.

although it's mostly sold as a cure for bad breath is also claims to "stop sour, bitter, & metallic tastes in your mouth."


 
Working without pay could be a good way to gain experience. Or for an employer to evaluate an "iffy" prospect.

But why was she so thirsty? and why was that an emergency? Was it diabetes?

she was thirsty because the over drinking of the water disturbed the balance of the electrolytes and it made the salt come out of solution and into her throat/mouth which made her drink more water which made it a bad cycle - overhydration..


Emma JC
 
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