Retrain your taste buds: How to enjoy food with less sugar and salt

According to the Heart Foundation, New Zealanders currently eat around 9 grams of salt a day, which is more than double the recommended amount.

And when it comes to the sweet stuff, we consume around 107g of sugar a day (the equivalent to approximately 27 teaspoons), which is more than double the recommended amount.

Lily Henderson of Dietitians NZ says repeated exposure plays a key role in shifting what we enjoy. If your diet is high in sugar or salt, your brain and palate become used to those levels – making anything less intense seem underwhelming.

Smell also plays a major role. It’s often more sensitive than taste and helps distinguish flavours, meaning the overall eating experience is more complex than just what’s happening on your tongue.

Your taste buds reset – but that’s not the whole story

Taste buds regenerate roughly every 10 days, which helps keep the system responsive. But that doesn’t mean your preferences reset overnight.

“Lasting changes in flavour preferences are driven more by repeated exposure to foods than biology alone,” Henderson explains.

There are also other factors at play, including your oral microbiome – the bacteria in your mouth – which may influence how foods taste by producing compounds that affect sweetness, bitterness and more.

How long does it actually take to adjust your tastes?

This is where it gets encouraging. Research suggests it can take several weeks to a few months to adjust to lower sugar or salt levels, depending on the individual and the food.

In some cases, changes can begin even sooner. Controlled trials show that reducing salt intake can start to shift preferences within four to eight weeks, while cutting back on sugar can increase sensitivity to sweetness over time.

Registered dietitian Julia Sekula says consistency is key. “Regularly choosing lower-sugar or lower-salt options allows both your palate and your brain’s reward system to gradually adapt.”

Why healthier food tastes bland at first

If you’ve ever switched to a lower-salt or lower-sugar version of something and found it disappointing, you’re not alone. Highly processed foods are often designed to be intensely flavoured, with added sugar, salt and other ingredients to maximise appeal. Over time, this can reset what your brain considers “normal”.

“Consistently eating these intense flavours can normalise them for your brain, making whole foods seem bland in comparison,” Sekula said.

There’s also natural variation between people. Around 20% of people are “super-tasters”, meaning they experience flavours – particularly bitterness – more intensely.

Breakfast cereal without sugar is tougher to swallow for many folk. Photo / 123rf

How to retrain your palate

You don’t need to overhaul your diet overnight. In fact, gradual change is more effective. Henderson and Sekula recommend:

Reduce sugar and salt slowly rather than cutting them out completely Cut back on sugary drinks, which strongly reinforce a preference for sweetness Prioritise whole and minimally processed foods, such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean proteins Taste before adding salt or sugar, especially when cooking Use herbs, spices and acid (like lemon or vinegar) to boost flavour instead of relying on salt Read labels, particularly the per 100g column, to compare products Stay consistent – it can take seven to 12 weeks for your palate to adjust One simple trick – adding acid, such as a squeeze of lemon – can make food taste brighter and more balanced without extra salt.

Some foods are harder than others

Not all swaps are equal. In practice, dietitians find people often struggle most with foods like tomato sauce and breakfast cereals, where sweetness or saltiness is expected. Yoghurt, on the other hand, can be easier to transition to lower-sugar versions.

Artificial sweeteners and low-sodium salts can help in some cases, but they’re not a perfect solution. Sweeteners, in particular, may maintain a preference for very sweet flavours.

What happens when your taste changes?

Once your palate adjusts, something interesting happens: foods that once tasted normal can start to feel too strong.

Shifting towards more whole foods and fewer highly sweet or salty options can reduce cravings for those intense flavours and increase enjoyment of more subtle ones.

You also don’t need to be perfect. Henderson emphasises that all foods can fit within a balanced diet, and extreme approaches – like cutting out sugar entirely – aren’t recommended.

Herald contributor Nikki Birrell has worked in food and travel publishing for nearly 20 years.