why does food taste bad when you have the flu?
475456
your tastebuds are out of wack when he has a cold.
725039
Stomach flu is a viral infection that affects the stomach and small intestine. It is also called viral gastroenteritis. The illness is usually brief, lasting 1 to 3 days. . The virus can be spread by direct contact with an infected person (for example, kissing or shaking hands) or by sharing food, drink, or eating utensils. \n\nWhen you have stomach flu, you may have one or more of the following symptoms: \n\nnausea \nvomiting \nstomach cramps \ndiarrhea \nmild fever \nfatigue \nchills \nloss of appetite \nmuscle aches. \n\nThe illness may develop over a period of hours, or it may suddenly start with stomach cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea. \n\nHow is it treated? \nThe most important thing to do is to rest the stomach and intestines. You can do this by first eating nothing solid and drinking only clear liquids. A little later you can eat soft bland foods that are easy to digest. \n\nIf you have been vomiting a lot, it is best to have only small, frequent sips of liquids. Drinking too much at once, even an ounce or two, may cause more vomiting. \n\nYour choice of liquids is important. If water is the only liquid you can drink without vomiting, that is okay. However, if you have been vomiting often for a long time, you must replace the minerals, sodium and potassium, that are lost when you vomit. Ask your health care provider what sport drinks or other commercial electrolyte replacement drinks could help you replace these minerals. \n\nOther clear liquids you can drink are weak tea and apple juice. You may also drink soft drinks without caffeine (such as 7-UP) after letting them go flat (lose their carbonation). Chilling the liquids may help you keep them down. Avoid liquids that are acidic (such as orange juice) or caffeinated (such as coffee) or have a lot of carbonation. Do not drink milk until you no longer have diarrhea. \n\nYou may start eating soft bland foods when you have not vomited for several hours and are able to drink clear liquids without further upset. Soda crackers, toast, plain noodles, gelatin, eggs, applesauce, and bananas are good first choices. Avoid foods that are acidic, spicy, fatty, or fibrous (such as meats, coarse grains, vegetables). Also avoid dairy products. You may start eating these foods again in 3 days or so, when all signs of illness have passed. \n\nSometimes treatment includes prescription medicine to prevent nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. Nonprescription medicine is available for the treatment of diarrhea and can be very effective. If you use it, make sure you use only the dose recommended on the package. If you have chronic health problems, always check with your health care provider before you use any medicine for diarrhea. \n\nIf you have been vomiting for more than a day or have had diarrhea for over 3 days, call your health care provider. You may need to have an exam to rule out more serious problems and to check for dehydration. You may also need to have lab tests to determine whether bacteria or germs such as giardia are causing your illness. \n\nDehydration is a potentially serious complication of stomach flu. It can occur if your body loses too much fluid because you keep vomiting or having diarrhea. If you are severely dehydrated, you may need to be given fluids intravenously (IV). In children and older adults, dehydration can quickly become life threatening. \n\nhttp://www.med.umich.edu
623869
Is there something that you are eating consistently that correlates to this? \n\nI sometimes have a metallic taste in my mouth.\n\nDr. Weil says:\n\n I have a weird metallic taste in my mouth that won't go away. Should I be worried?\n\n \n Probably not. Some antibiotics and drugs, such as those for high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney stones, or depression, can cause odd tastes. If you're not taking medications for conditions like these and if you haven't had a thorough general checkup recently, see your doctor to rule out any undiagnosed health problems. Sometimes the flu, heartburn, or very rarely, lead poisoning, can cause the odd taste.\n\nIf your doc finds nothing amiss, try your dentist. She'll look for gum disease and will probably check out any existing dental work; as fillings age, they can sometimes break down and alter taste. If those causes aren't to blame, pay extra attention to your oral hygiene. Be sure to brush your teeth carefully at least twice a day and use a tongue scraper to remove the bacteria and debris that can collect on your tongue, which could create off tastes in your mouth.\n\nIn addition, not drinking enough water can contribute to problems with taste. Up your intake and see if that helps. You don't have to drink the recommended eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day; my rule of thumb is to drink as much of that amount as you comfortably can--and more than you think you need.\n\nIf you rule out all of these possible causes and still have the taste, it might be worth consulting a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. He would view the metallic taste as a sign of an imbalance in your system, such as too much stress, too little sleep or exercise, or a bad diet, which he might treat with a combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, dietary changes, and other traditional therapies. Find a qualified practitioner through the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
714659
It's probably not the zinc lozenges that is causing you not to be able to taste anything, it's your cold.  When  your sense of smell is compromised, your sense of taste is also, because the senses of smell and taste are tied together.  Once your sneezing and runny nose clear up, you should be able to taste things again.
787641
Sometimes when you get ill after eating something, it wasn't necessarily bad food.  You may have had a touch of stomach flu beforehand and the overeating could have just exacerbated the symptoms.\nRemember that the holidays are notorious for rich foods.  I went through 5 pounds of butter making dinner for today..that type of food could upset anyone with a queasy stomach.
767199
I had a flu shot last year and found out I am allergic to egg whites.My throat closed up and my taste buds swelled up to.Did you eat something you are allergic to? Call your doctor.I was lucky I was at the doctors office when this happened to me because I was treated for shock before I turned blue.
914162
the flu or too much alcohol\n\nI can't remember the last time i threw up
802859
If you're vomiting, you don't have the flu.  There is no such thing as a stomach flu...influenza is a respiratory illness, not a stomach virus.  Stomach viruses are usually linked to gastroenteritis, but can also be related to food poisoning.  You might want to go to a doctor to find out exactly what you have.  In the mean time, drink plenty of liquids (water, broth), and try eating dry foods (crackers, dry toast).
1176432
you can not taste food because you can't smell it...and don't worry your nose will recover...I had a sinus infection and once I recovered I couldn't taste anything for about 3 months...I hated eating...just be patient your nose will come back
601412
they are inflamed taste buds. cause can be many things but usually if your body is trying to fight off an illness you'll get them esp if nausea is part of the illness
307946
anything that is pasteurized or processed food has been heated up so high that the body does not recognize it as food anymore, and mucus is made to protect the intestines, and yes when you have a cold the mucus is a problem already, so this does cause more problems.\n\nAvoid as much dairy and processed foods in cans - as far as rice - not that I know of, as water only gets so hot.  rice is often the food people can eat when they have a really bad flue with diarrhea.
803778
Food can go bad due to bacterial contamination - you would get sick if you ate it, so that the food would no longer be considered edible. For example, after a power outage, I had to clean out my refrigerator, and dispose of all the food that is no longer edible, but keep the food that is still edible.
95276
A sinus infection is one possible cause.  (A very large part of the sense of taste relies on the sense of smell).  Zinc or B-12 deficiencies can also cause loss of sense of taste.  Many other possible causes are given in the link below.\n\nThe condition is known as dysgeusia.
51773
Go to the doctor. You may have the flu, or worse, you may have CO poisoning.
610536
If you have a virus, it can be influenza or a cold. There are hundreds of different types of each. The flu can include congestion, and a cold can include nausea, so it's possible that you can give your flu virus to someone resulting in them experiencing congestion. Some flu viruses are caused by the same strain as strep throat. As a preschool teacher, I used to get strep when others at work got the flu! My doctor told me this. :o)\n\nAll in all, I think that if you have the standard old flu with vomiting, fever, etc. but no congestion, it's not real likely that you gave it to a person who is congested and sneezing but has no other symptoms.
890313
You are thinking of ThermoFlu, a remedy that was supposed to taste like chicken soup and help suffers get through the symptoms of the flu as easily as possible.  It had Tylenol in it and when it was advertised, they talked about that as well.  That is probably what you are remembering since you were a child at that time.
1167775
Do you also have diarrhea?  I get burps like that when I eat a food that I am intolerant to.  I finally went to an internist and he had me keep a complete food diary.  My symptoms take up to 12 hours to develop after eating a food I cannot tolerate.  Usually I am sick for three days and I run to the bathroom 10-12 times a day.  I get so sick that I crawl from the bathroom to the bed.  I always get those burps just before I get sick.  Keep a food diary and keep track of the times you get sick.  You may be intolerant to a food.  For me it is all poultry, eggs, cherries, honey, and beets.  I have to read labels on lunch meat, hot dogs, breads and cereals.