The one person I know who had covid said they didn't want to eat anything. It wasn't just that you lose taste/smell, it's that everything tasted/smelled funny.

Is it a permanent loss of taste or do your senses come back after?

For some it's come back. More rarely it stays gone for months. Hard to know about 'permanent' since it's only been 6 months this thing has been around.

Texture is (just/almost) as important as taste!

Once you get used to protein shakes, you can stomach almost any texture.

I blend frozen banana, peanut butter, milk, Greek yogurt, and protein powder together and it’s as good as any milkshake (once you get the proportions right). The frozen banana seems to be the key for giving smoothies a creamy texture.

Everyone: if you drink protein powder mixed with water, you are committing a food crime.

Not even close.