As far as Zinc supplements for taste, my RO said they could not hurt and often help. He did warn me that about half his patients did not notice any improvement while the other half got great results. His rule of thumb was that after half a bottle, if you did not notice any changes, you probably wouldn't, so I too did not finish an entire bottle.
Of course this is moot now with the G tube although I can "taste" the reflux.
Charm

Several doctors at HUP swear zinc improves the taste buds. I took 220 mg zinc sulfate for years with no problems, along with vit C, B complex and E. Then I developed a severe case of diarrhea almost every day and it took me a year to figure out it was the supplements that were doing it so stopped them all.

I had most of my taste back a few months after radiation although I did not get sweet back for some time and all continued to improve over the first two years. If things are tasting salty to you, it is probably because salt is the only taste that has come back. I still cannot eat anything that has any heat in it 13 years out but most people do not have that problem.

So try the zinc and see what happens.

Take care,
Eileen