Eating the foods you hate

elsing84

Anyone tried to force themselves to eat the foods they hate until the liked them. How was the experience and did you have success.

I'm tackling nuts and seeds, I've always hated these it's the last food type on a long list of foods to definitely be avoided by my former picky eater self. I'm starting by adding them to yoghurts, oats and adding a sprinkling in some recipies.

Day 1 - 3 I couldn't help but pull a face at the taste and they had a horrible aftertaste
Day 4 - just a slight aftertaste and no pulling faces (or did I just add more yoghurt)

WinoGelato

Why do you feel you need to eat foods you hate? So many foods in the world to choose from, if you truly don't like something I don't know why you need to force yourself to eat something you don't enjoy.

crzycatlady1

Why on earth would I force myself to eat foods that I hate?

Sued0nim

Unless it was a major food group with a huge variety and nutrient profile that is difficult to match elsewhere, like vegetables, then heck no

Ya don't like nuts and seeds, don't eat em..they are hardly ubiquitous or that unique a nutrient profile

ajnb88

Dieting is hard enough without eating things you hate..!

smantha32

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

Why on earth would I force myself to eat foods that I hate?

This.

roamingtiger

No, never. I wouldn't do that to myself.

singingflutelady

The only time I was forced to eat thing I hated was inpatient and day hospitalization eating disorder programs and I still harbour resentment towards the for doing that.

Evamutt

I LOVE best foods mayonnaise & really disliked low cal mayo. I've been using the low cal & it's ok. I don't have mayo every day. The most surprising one are egg whites. I never had egg whites before but the thought of it sounded disgusting. now i use i whole egg & 1-2 egg whites & make a veggie omelet. I can't tell the difference.
I'v been discovering a lot of foods I hardly ever ate or never ate. It's fun. Maybe she found that seeds & nuts are something she should be putting into her diet, maybe it works out well as a snack? I used to make my own trail mix & munch on it at work, since there was no time for breaks most of the time.

MsRuffBuffNStuff

No. Never. Will never, unless my life literally depends on it. Otherwise, why?

elsing84

Sorry never mind

Sued0nim

Actuallu @elsing84 if you've come from "picky eater" to able to try new things repeatedly you've made a marked difference in your psyche which is absolutely to be applauded ...I remember reading that one has to try something over 30 times before forming an opinion and I've experienced my tastes changing over time

I think you're doing a great thing for your palate ...it's very different from those of us with wide diets not eating specific foods

How long does it take you to accept a new taste?

GottaBurnEmAll

I never have, but I don't have a past as a picky eater.

I applaud you for trying to change this about yourself!

What I have experienced is suddenly having a "taste" for a food I've previously found repulsive. This has happened to me with mustard, red bell peppers, and cottage cheese.

ouryve

I eat a wide and varied enough diet to not need to force myself to eat anything I hate. Both the boys are extremely picky, though (ASD) and I do encourage them to gently nudge at the boundaries, particularly with the eldest who goes through phases of limiting his diet until he becomes bored of the few things he will try, then having to force himself to expand it, again.

Hamsibian

I think it's cool that you are trying new things as a picky eater. There were always some foods we hated as kids, but grew to like as adults. I eat a lot more veggies now that I didn't like before , and now my taste buds prefer them over any sweets or packaged foods. See how you feel over time, there may be some nuts/seeds that you find you like and others you don't.

ouryve

How you eat things can make a difference. If I gave my youngest a bowl of nuts and seeds, he'd walk away. Spread some nut butter on some seeded bread and he can't get it down him fast enough.

HeidiCooksSupper

Actually, yes == and that's exactly how to develop a taste for things. You can also start by camouflaging whatever it is by hiding it in other foods. With a category like nuts, is it the consistency you dislike or the taste? Different nuts taste very different from each other. I find, for example, that walnuts are yucky by themselves and only tolerable in cookies but good in maple-walnut ice cream. Pecans and almonds are yummy. Don't discard a whole category of food because you don't like some of them.

Why would you want to develop a more catholic palate? Because it's FUN!

Meganthedogmom

I wouldn't want to waste the calories on things I don't like. But if you are a super picky eater and it's hard to find variety and nutrition, then I can see why you'd keep trying.

mysteps2beauty

You can have nut oils instead of the actual nuts if you want the minute nutrients they have. Otherwise, ditch them. I don't like eggplant but one day I'm gonna eat it, just cause. I use to hate avocado as a young person, now, I absolutely adore them.

kellyjellybellyjelly

Why would you subject yourself to foods you absolutely hate? I'm all for trying a food every now & then to see if you like it tried different cooking ways, but once you find you can't tolerate a food I see no reason in torturing oneself by eating it.

If it's fruits or vegetables that you're talking about there's so many options out there that you don't have to eat anything you hate.

zyxst

No. If I don't like it, there's a reason. Forcing myself to eat it isn't going to change that. I am eating foods I never would've tried before, thanks to my husband who doesn't act like an *kitten* (aka, OMG that's money we'll never get back) when I try something new and don't like it. FTR, I am a picky eater.

ETA: Lel, it changed it to *kitten*, so I linked the definition of the word I meant and it came up as what I originally typed.

fattothinmum

Oh gosh. Find the foods you like and eat those.

charlenekapf

Ok so you don't like nuts but have you tried nut BUTTERS? I mean don't force yourself but my dessert most days is having some type of almond or peanut butter. honey and vanilla flavors are the best.

Savyna

elsing84 wrote: »

Sorry never mind

no need to say sorry.

tryett

Why would I punish myself by eating foods I dislike? It would only make the journey more difficult.

arditarose

No. And if I didn't like nuts I definitely wouldn't force myself to eat them while trying to lose weight, as they are very calorie dense.

Red_Pill

This thread is hilarious but funny enough I'm going through this right now. I hate broccoli but I'm forcing myself to eat it until I like that sucker. There's too many nutritional benefits to miss out on.

zyxst

zyxst wrote: »

No. If I don't like it, there's a reason. Forcing myself to eat it isn't going to change that. I am eating foods I never would've tried before, thanks to my husband who doesn't act like an *kitten* (aka, OMG that's money we'll never get back) when I try something new and don't like it. FTR, I am a picky eater.

ETA: Lel, it changed it to *kitten*, so I linked the definition of the word I meant and it came up as what I originally typed.

Nice, mods.

RoxieDawn

Nooooo.. and not about to start either, gag reflexes have a tendency to be high..

Alatariel75

I've started responding to this a couple of times, first to say "I don't eat foods I hate", then saying "actually, I think learning to like new things is good". My honest opinion is that I'm not a very fussy eater and enjoy a really wide range of flavours and foods so I've never felt the need to try and learn to like something I hate. My one big "Except" on that is that I hate fruit. All fresh fruit. I will eat a few types of fruit if they are cooked into something, but the idea of grabbing a piece of fruit makes me want to gag. And I have never felt the need to try and change that about myself. I figure I get the same nutrients from veggies and my wide diet, so it's ok I don't eat it.

I do, however, coax my much fussier eating husband into trying new things all the time. Quite often I'm successful. Most of the time though, he doesn't 'hate' the food, he just hasn't tried it and is wary.

I can see why you'd want to learn to like something you hate if there is an advantage to it, whether it be nutrients or expanding your food choices. Where there's something you truly hate though and there's no disadvantage to avoiding it, I don't know if it is worth the effort. I totally applaud your work though, you are willing to give it a go and that's awesome.

b3achy

Yep, plenty of foods that I used to hate but keep trying them...some I eventually like (for various reasons), some I still don't like but will eat, some I just don't like and won't bother eating.

1. Beer - has to be the nasty stuff ever invented. But after college and being in the Army overseas (where it was a primary drink of choice), it kind of grew on me. Now I actually get a hankering for it sometimes, especially if it's hot outside.
2. Eggs - still can't really stand them, but I've finally found a way to prepare them that I can get them down (lots of peppers, onions, cayenne pepper and some cheese in an omelet; or scrambled with hot sauce). I like the protein and nutritional value, but still find most versions of them nasty...but you put enough hot sauce on it (old Army trick), and you can eat it. Now, sometimes I even have had a hankering for them, so guess they are starting to be more palatable.
3. Eggplant - It was a main staple when I was stationed in Turkey decades ago. Nasty and mushy, but they had a hot salsa, so I'd slather that on the eggplant, and I could get it down. Still don't like eggplant, and won't choose to eat it a this point.
4. Bananas - this was more a texture thing, since I don't mind the banana flavor. So I had to learn to buy my bananas slightly green so they would be firm, and when they get mushy they get put into bread or frozen for smoothies.
5. Red Wine - used to only drink sweet white wines, but as I've gotten older, the sweet wines are nasty and the dry reds and whites are more palatable. Sometimes your tastes just change.
6. Yogurt - nasty tasting to me, but with the probiotics and other goodness, I keep trying to like it. Still a work in progress, but it's a long process.

Some of the ones I just can't eat...mushrooms - slimy and nasty tasting; olives - slimy and yucky; peaches - just yuck; and kale - gross! I eventually will re-try them, but not going to force myself to like them.

Agree with some of the comments, try not to nix an entire food group, but find what you like in that food group. I love most fruits, but some I don't like so I avoid them. Veggies are still a challenge as a former picky eater, but I like some prepared in certain ways (for example, hate raw tomatoes, but love tomato sauces).

Always good to branch out and try new things. But you don't have to like everything.