The Health of It All...
Do Your Salt Taste Buds Learn?
In a study performed in 1982, a group of people were placed on a low-sodium
diet for five months. Their taste response to salt in solutions, soups and crackers
were measured before and while they were on the diet. During the five month
period when the participants lowered their sodium intake, the same measurements
were made in a control group that did not change their diet.
In the group that lowered their sodium intake, the perceived intensity of
salt in crackers increased. In addition, the amount of salt needed for “maximum
pleasantness” of taste in soup and crackers fell in the experimental group
but not in the control group.
It is clear that preferred levels of salt in food are dependent on how much
salt you are used to eating. So, give it some time and slowly decrease the
amount of salt in foods you prepare, and your perceptions of saltiness will
change.