It’s hard to choose your favorite Thanksgiving dish. You might think it’s mashed potatoes during dinner, only to find yourself switching to pecan pie at dessert. Whichever dish you choose, you don’t want something like allergy-related congestion to get in the way of a tasty meal.
How Do Taste and Smell Work?
When you smell a pie in the oven or a new scented candle at Sea Love, what you’re actually smelling are tiny molecules in the air that enter your nose and mouth and attach to the receptor cells in your nasal mucus membranes. When they attach to the receptor cells, the cells send messages to your brain to make sense of the smell.
The roof of your mouth, the back of your throat and your tongue have similar receptors that react to liquid-soluble molecules. The receptors send messages to your brain to help it differentiate between sweet, salty, sour, savory or bitter.
The taste and smell sensors work together. When you eat something, you release molecules that stimulate receptors in the nose and mouth. Your brain uses the combined signals from those receptors to help you identify subtle differences in flavors. For example, when you have mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes on your plate, your receptors help your brain tell the two apart.
How Do Allergies Impact Taste and Smell?
When you encounter a substance you’re allergic to, your body releases histamine—the chemical that triggers your allergy symptoms. Common symptoms include:
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Red or watery eyes
- Hives
- Itchy throat
- Anaphylaxis (in severe cases)
When the inflammation from allergies clogs your nose, the smell receptors get blocked, preventing them from sending information to your brain. The result is bland or strange-tasting food. You may also notice a taste change if you have a cold, flu or sinus infection.
What Can I Do?
The first step is preventing an allergic reaction where possible. Depending on what you’re allergic to, that may include:
- Removing indoor plants
- Labeling foods with allergens
- Asking others to avoid fragrant perfumes and soaps
- Cleaning the house to remove dust mites, mold and pet dander
- Asking the host to keep pets out of the main eating area
If you notice your nose getting congested, try the following:
- Take a decongestant at least an hour before the meal
- Irrigate your sinuses with a saline rinse
- Drink plenty of water before dinner to thin mucus
- Take allergy medication
Everyone should be able to enjoy the complex flavors Thanksgiving dinner offers. If you’re unsure what’s causing your allergies, contact ENT of Georgia North today to schedule a test with one of our specialists.
