Objective: This study was designed to investigate if increasing the taste of food by adding seasonings in addition to salt and pepper would improve the oral intake of meals. Participants for the current study were aged 75-95 years old with a diagnosis of dysphagia, who tolerated their texture-modified diet with ease and had no signs or symptoms of aspiration. Methods: Four participants were enrolled in a single-study A-B-A research design. The independent variable was the use of garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh herbs (rosemary and oregano) as additional flavorings. The dependent variable was the measurement of the amount of food that was consumed. The baseline and withdrawal phases consisted of four meals prepared with salt and pepper only. During the intervention phase, three meals were served with additional seasonings of garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh rosemary. Participants’ plates were weighed before and after consumption. Participants also answered a qualitative questionnaire about emotions and feelings associated with meals. Results: Visual data analysis revealed that when seasoning was added to meals, immediate oral intake increased with an accelerating trend. When the seasonings were withdrawn, the participants’ oral intake decreased. Further, participants reported that the taste of food is a factor of happiness with meal selections. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that taste is a factor in meal consumption behavior. This research should be further explored using a larger sample of different age groups, genders, and ethnicities.
