Is Anyone Else Having Problems With Tasting Cans Or Dyes ?

[Green12]

It is common when you have auto-immune conditions to be very sensitive to smells and tastes, it is a symptom of having multiple chemical/environmental sensitivities. A tinny taste in the mouth can also be a sign of metal sensitivities.

But, it also might be just that you don't care for the taste of foods prepared in this way, in a can, and it is a personal taste preference.

I have a super heightened sense of smell and taste, I don't know if this is how I've always been or if it is something that was more obvious when I first started getting sick. I do notice that my tastes have really changed over the years. I always ate "health" food, but after following an even stricter whole foods diet for the last 10 years or so I can't even stomach anything with artificial flavorings and dyes, they do make me sick but they don't taste right either. Even restaurant food doesn't taste the same to me. I think the purer my diet got the more noticeable the fake stuff was.

[rinne]

As far as tasting chemicals and being sensitive to smells...none of that happened to me until I got sick. I'm pretty sure it has alot to do with too many toxins and our bodies ability (or inability) to eliminate them. Its a toxic overload and we are no longer able to tolerate the endless amount of chemicals we come in contact with on a daily basis.

I think that nails it Rachel.

I'm curious about the relationship between age, diet and the onset of the crisis. I am 51 and and am now clearly ill, though of course I was for years with migraines and arthritis, but for half my adult life I haven't consumed much gluten. As a "super-taster" I ate a healthy and as much as possible organic diet, though chocolate and chips were a weakness, so funny - now I'm glad I had the weight to lose.

[marciab]

Yep, what Rachel said about toxic overload and not being able to handle them anymore makes a lot of sense. I was a junk food junkie too.

My sensitivities have definitely increased over the last year.

Any ideas of how to undo toxic overload ? I have seen some info on detoxing, but haven't pursued it past adding a few detoxing herbs and foods to my diet. And the occasional epsom salt bath.

Any ideas on who would know about the dyes they are putting in foods nowadays ? I was going to check out the food allergy site. Maybe the NIH ? Since dyes are FDA approved, are they required to list them ?

Thanks ... Marcia

[floridanative]

I'm not a supertaster but a supersmeller like some others of you. I know when the garbage in my friends houses smells...before they do. Of course I'm polite and don't tell them so - lol! Twice I had a gas leak due to an idiot plumber installing a new hot water heater incorrectly. Both times I called the gas company my husband thought the gas company was going to charge us for coming out to find nothing. Except both times they found a gas leak . I find this trait annoying most of the time since it means most perfumes bother me. I've been known to get up and change seats in a movie theater when a woman dripping in perfume sits in front of me. I can barely breath when that happens. I can not tolerate any scented candles except plain vanilla. This is also an issue when I visit friends homes when they are burning melon or citrus scented candles. I do tell most friends about my odd sense of smell in order to stop getting scented candles as gifts.

[marciab]

I'm a super taster and a super smeller. It is embarrassing to have to run out of a room when some one is breaks out the Pinesol or that Orange cleaning product.

I can only handle the vanilla or cinamon scented candles, etc too. I like the cinamon brooms.

Has anyone tried the taste bud / dye test ? I'm really not sure what a tongue is supposed to look like, but I think I am a super taster.

[rinne]

I'm a super-smeller too although I have never smelled any gas leaks. That might have something to do with there never being any gas leaks.

Any ideas of how to undo toxic overload ? I have seen some info on detoxing, but haven't pursued it past adding a few detoxing herbs and foods to my diet. And the occasional epsom salt bath.

This is a very good question Marcia. Like you I've done the bath and a few herbs but haven't known how to proceed any further. Admittedly, I haven't done any research on it because I was basically functioning. It seems like this might be a good time to do that along with this Celiac education I'm getting.

[penguin]

I may be a super taster, but I can't smell a damn thing. I think my olfactory glands are damaged from having grotesquely huge adenoids in an already too small sinus cavity. I've always figured my sense of taste is stronger to make up for my lack of sense of smell I know that if I can't smell well, I shouldn't be able to taste well, but I wouldn't be such a good cook without such a good sense of taste.

409 gives me an athsma attack though, I'm pretty sensitive to airborne chemicals.

[Rachel--24]

Any ideas of how to undo toxic overload ? I have seen some info on detoxing, but haven't pursued it past adding a few detoxing herbs and foods to my diet. And the occasional epsom salt bath.

Unfortunately, I dont think herbs or cleanses or anything of that nature is gonna solve it, thats just my opinion though. I think its more related to leaky gut...more toxins are able to go where they shouldnt be going. This is gonna put a toxic burden on the body...including the organs. When our bodies become overwhelmed with food intolerances, chemicals in the food (and everywhere else), yeast overgrowth, etc...we become more vulnerable to the slightest impurity because we are either at our threshhold or close to it. Like a bucket that has been filled to the brim and is now spilling over because its reached its capacity.

There was a time (before I went gluten-free) when I was well past my threshhold. I thought I was dying. I remember going into Radio Shack and I could literally smell every chemical in the place. It was overwhelming to say the least...my head was spinning. I could smell the chemicals in the carpet, all the plastic in the store, etc. Even in the car I was having problems smelling all the chemicals in the fabrics and leather. I couldnt be around my pets, my bedding was bothering me, I was even reacting to chemicals in standard computer paper. Newspaper ink, perfumes, ciigarette smoke....everything was setting me off. Thankfully this has improved dramatically with the diet changes but that was a very scary time for me.

I think I could easily reach that level again if I werent eating organic and went back to my old ways. I think if we have a healthy intestinal lining, normal gut flora, and good eating habits we should not have these problems with heightened sensitivities.

[prinsessa]

The quiz says I am a normal taster, but I think I am a super smeller. I can tell when my son pooped even if he is in the next room. My husband can't tell even if he is sitting next to him. I can also smell the garbage way before anyone else can. I keep tell my husband "this house smells" and he tells me "I don't smell anything".

I think women are supposed to smell better than men biologically. We are the ones who are pregnant, breastfeed, and take care of the kids. That is the same reason a woman's sense of smell is greater during pregnancy.

I do like sented candles though...as long as they aren't too strong. The only ones I don't really like are vanilla and cinnamon. And I don't mind perfume as long as it isn't too strong. Most people put it on too strong though.

One thing I can't stand more than anything is the smell of a new car. Whenever my step-dad would rent a car that was really new (when I was younger), I would feel car sick. Most people think I am crazy for not liking the smell of new cars.