VERIFY QUESTION

Do your taste buds really change every seven years?

Reporter Maddie Gardner has always heard that, and she suspects it's the reason she used to dislike olives and carrots but craves them now. So, she asked us to VERIFY.

VERIFY SOURCE

To VERIFY, we talked to registered dietitian Katie Jordanhazy.

VERIFY PROCESS

She explained every cell in the body regenerates every seven to 10 years, but taste buds change every two weeks. That doesn't mean your favorite meal will taste totally different two weeks from now.

"There are many factors that play a part in how we perceive taste, like how food is presented, its smell, its texture, who we eat with, how familiar that food is to us, etc. Along those lines, the more we are exposed to a food, the duller the flavors can get and going without for a while can reset that."

She said that's why going without sweets for a while can make them taste more enjoyable when you indulge again.

But as far as food preferences? Don't give your taste buds all the credit. It's your brain doing the talking.

"The taste buds are receptors to send signals to our brains, but, ultimately, our brains make the decision on whether or not we like a food. Luckily for our bodies, the brain can always be trained."

VERIFY CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we were able to VERIFY the answer to Maddie's question is no. Taste buds don't change every seven years. They change every two weeks, but there are factors other than taste buds that decide whether you like a certain food.