Picky eating advice

NerdyNesa

I really need some advice from anyone else that may be a bit of a picky eater. Both of my parents were always fairly picky and I have never had to eat anything I didn't like. As I've gotten older, I have been forcing myself to introduce new foods, but most veggies are still a no no for me. I don't like them even after trying them and I am the sort of picky eater where "hiding" things isn't an option. You will not fool me. Most the food I will eat falls into the junk category and what doesn't is so limited that I get sick of it after a week or so. I will eat like fish and chicken but as far as something to go with it, I can only really eat white rice or potatoes. Most veggies I won't eat and don't get me started on brown rice. Any advice on how to get over this or to at least figure out how to stay on track when there is only so much you will eat? Any foods that even the pickiest of eaters usually like?

kommodevaran

You'd have to want to get over it, I guess. You can't force yourself to do something you don't have to. "Don't like it" is a somewhat moot point. Your tastebuds will adapt to what you feed them. Have you tried different preparations? Where do you go to eat out, are there no vegetables there? If you eat with others, what are they doing? Can you get someone to teach/show you how to cook? Or you can look up videos. Raw vegetables with nothing on them will taste way differently than vegetables cooked to perfection and as part of a complete meal.

NerdyNesa

I wish "getting over it" was a real option. Maybe my post sounded like I don't try to like new foods because I really do. I will try most things but most foods when I try to like them I am almost to the point of vomiting while trying it. I would give anything to like more veggies and new foods. I see so many recipes that look delicious but if I try them, I just make myself sick. At restaurants I order anything that I know will be safe and won't contain anything I won't eat. Most of my friends will eat their foods, but they are not picky.

MFPSK1977

Does the actual taste make you sick, or texture? Would you eat carrot cake ..knowing carrot is in there but not being able to taste carrot at all?

NerdyNesa

Sometimes taste but usually texture. Like I'll use onion powder to cook but if there is even the tiniest onion in my food I'll find it and just kind of freeze up and even just the thought of eating it makes me nauseous. This would be easy to handle if I was like that with just a few things but it is with just about everything.

RedSierra

I agree with the person who said your taste buds will adapt to what you feed them.

I love fresh vegetables with a tiny bit of salt or other seasoning. Vegetables can be prepared a zillion different ways. Some restaurants can ruin them, so don't judge all vegetables with one meal.

You might see a therapist, seriously, if you freeze up or feel like vomiting over certain common foods. It sounds like a psychological problem. A therapist might have some great suggestions for helping you to get over these reactions.

lcampbell88

I literally used to be exactly the same as you. I barely ate anything except I didn't like trying new things. I know how you feel when you say the thought of eating some food makes you nauseous. Honestly, there's no easy way round this and for me I found out it was actually mostly in my head. I'd convinced myself I wouldn't like them because I never had to eat them and so when I went to try them I physically gagged. This probably won't help but as I got older the thing that worked for me was actually embarrassment. If I went out with friends or my (now) husband cooked for me I'd be too embarrassed to say, actually I don't eat about 90% of food. I just had to grin and bare it and quite often just gulped it down with water.
Now however is a completely different story. I eat probably about 90% of food now and I'll try anything once. I started with things like broccolli in cheese sauce or a simple spinach salad which I could dress or eat with pasta and sauce. Then things like grilled asparagus... I think its getting over the mental block and finding a way of cooking them where you enjoy it.
I also enjoy raw veggies with humous, sweet pepper in particular is delicious and doesn;t taste like a 'vegetable'.
My last point, and I hope some of this helps!, is that I used to HATE onion, like really really hate it, and I still won't eat it unless it's really well cooked, have you tried cooking it to where it's browned, it changes the taste, texture and gives anything it's added to a lovely flavour as well!
Anyway, that's my 2 pence (I'm in the UK). Good luck, and I hope you find something that works for you!

x_stephisaur_x

I am SUCH a picky eater. However, I'm also really polite if I'm eating food somebody else has prepared. I never used to eat baked potatoes, but then my Uncle made me one and it was that or nothing, so not wanting to be rude I tried it and found it was ok. I still don't eat the skin, but baby steps I exclusively eat broccoli, carrots and sweetcorn. Always have. Don't see any problems with not eating others.

I recently developed a love for Spinach, because my cousin put it in a lasagne. I gave it a go, found it inoffensive and started including it in things myself. Lasagne I only eat because my now Husband basically force fed it to me at one point!

My family and friends have done their best to ensure I TRY something before I decide I won't eat it.

I also suggest adding things to meals you cook and eat regularly. If you eat a lot of spaghetti bolognaise, try adding some extra veggies to it. Doesn't have to be loads, just a little I'm also a big fan of purée-ing veg I don't like to include them! (Looking at you onions lol)

X

NerdyNesa

Thanks for the advice. I do think part of it may be psychological and I have just convinced myself that I will not like things. I will just have to keep on trying things until I can find something that works.

Ready2Rock206

I saw a really interesting show once where the people worked with a therapist to get over their food aversions. These people pretty much picked one food item and ate ONLY that one thing. I don't remember the name of the show unfortunately but the therapist helped and eventually they were able to broaden out their diets a bit.

rankinsect

I actually used to be just like this too, up until maybe 6 months ago. I think the part that resonated most with me is when you mentioned the very thought of foods being nauseating.

For me, at least, this was really more of a food phobia than a food preference - many of the foods that I avoided were ones I'd never eaten and couldn't really have any informed opinion on.

On the other hand, today I'm actually one of the less picky eaters in my social group, so it IS possible to break past this. Here is what I did:

First, I tried to research picky eating/ ARFID/SED and found precious little in terms of coping strategies. So I broadened to look at phobias in general and found the idea of graded exposure therapy.

The idea here: make a list of some common foods you wish you could eat, and rank them from least to most anxiety for you. The basic plan of attack is to work your way up the list, so the new food you're trying is always the least scary thing remaining on the list.

When the moment comes to actually try something new, I recommend takeout or a microwave dinner, so you don't have any extra apprehension about cooking, and so you don't have the situation where you screw up the food and your first experience with the meal tastes awful.

When you actually get the food, the key is to go slowly and relax as much as possible. Put on relaxing music, wear comfy clothes, and sit somewhere you can relax. Take it slow, and if your anxiety is high, pause, take deep breaths, and let yourself calm down before continuing. If you can't calm down at all, stop and try the meal again another day.

The first time is by far the hardest. I spent maybe 10 minutes just getting comfortable with the smell of the meal, and another 10 with the sight of the meal before I even took up a utensil. The good news is that I found each new food gets easier and easier. It's kind of like an avalanche - it is hard to start, but once you get momentum it just keeps going. I guess it makes sense - these aren't hundreds of different phobias, but hundreds of manifestations of the same phobia, so as you overcome one, all the others are weakened as well.

Another thing that helped - although I was already past the worst when I did this and it's harder to replicate - was I had a 2-week period on a trip when I had almost zero food choices. Someone else set the menu and I had to eat because there was no other choice. It exposed me to a lot of new things, some of which I now incorporate into my normal diet.

madyson1707

I have the same issue. The only vegetable I used to eat was corn and potatoes. I have over time forced myself to try more and I can now tolerate cooked carrots, peas, and green beans. Mine is more of a texture thing so I gag if I try eating lettuce or any raw vegetables. I can’t even get myself to eat a salad. No matter if I add a ton of topping to try and hide the taste and texture of the lettuce. My suggestion would be try eating the stuff that is the least repulsive to you. For me it is easier to get cooked veggies down. I had to start by pretty much washing it down with water until I got used to them. Also try seasoning them to make them easier to eat.

TeaBea

NerdyNesa wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I do think part of it may be psychological and I have just convinced myself that I will not like things. I will just have to keep on trying things until I can find something that works.

Try many cooking methods. Roasting & grilling are my favorites. Start with raw, frozen, and fresh. These will be game changers with regards to texture. Some veggies are fine frozen, others are just gross (IMO).

Start with veggies I think are pretty mild - cauliflower & green beans. Fresh green beans are the bomb (always had canned growing up - yech!).

I'm not a huge fan of onion either, sweet onion is my go to (for seasoning).....but I still pick the "chunks" out.

omsmom12

I've never suffered from this issue but I feel for you. It must be a cross to bear to want to be able to eat other foods but to have a visceral reaction to the ones you don't care for. I've read about a condition called "Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder" (ARFID) where "consumption of certain foods is limited based on the food's appearance, smell, taste, texture, brand, presentation, or a past negative experience with the food" and where in some cases "afflicted individuals will exclude whole food groups, such as fruits or vegetables." "Sufferers can experience physical gastrointestinal reactions to adverse foods such as retching, vomiting or gagging" and that most wish they could change their eating habits if they could. For adults, the recommended treatment is some form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. May be worth a try to see a behavioral therapist and see if this is something that could be diagnosed; in that case, perhaps insurance would cover therapy. It could feel liberating to be set free of some of these eating restrictions. Best wishes to you.

AliceDark

I'm curious...do you not eat things like pizza? What about marinara?

rankinsect

AliceDark wrote: »

I'm curious...do you not eat things like pizza? What about marinara?

I won't speak for the OP, but when I was dealing with my own food aversions, tomato sauce was "OK" and a slice of tomato was "not OK" and nauseating. Fundamentally, a phobia is an irrational fear; it often follows its own rules but those rules need not make sense.

janejellyroll

rankinsect wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

I'm curious...do you not eat things like pizza? What about marinara?

I won't speak for the OP, but when I was dealing with my own food aversions, tomato sauce was "OK" and a slice of tomato was "not OK" and nauseating. Fundamentally, a phobia is an irrational fear; it often follows its own rules but those rules need not make sense.

When I was very young, I didn't care for tomatoes. When I was five or six, a babysitter forced me to eat a raw tomato and I think that was what triggered a huge aversion to them. I could eat things like marinara sauce, but absolutely couldn't handle raw tomato (and even disliked chunks of cooked tomatoes in sauce or soup). It's only been in the past couple of years that I've grown to appreciate them. I agree, an aversion (or phobia) doesn't have to make sense. It has its own rules.

AliceDark

janejellyroll wrote: »

rankinsect wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

I'm curious...do you not eat things like pizza? What about marinara?

I won't speak for the OP, but when I was dealing with my own food aversions, tomato sauce was "OK" and a slice of tomato was "not OK" and nauseating. Fundamentally, a phobia is an irrational fear; it often follows its own rules but those rules need not make sense.

When I was very young, I didn't care for tomatoes. When I was five or six, a babysitter forced me to eat a raw tomato and I think that was what triggered a huge aversion to them. I could eat things like marinara sauce, but absolutely couldn't handle raw tomato (and even disliked chunks of cooked tomatoes in sauce or soup). It's only been in the past couple of years that I've grown to appreciate them. I agree, an aversion (or phobia) doesn't have to make sense. It has its own rules.

I completely agree that aversions or phobias don't have to make sense. On the other hand, I think it's important to watch our internal dialogue when it comes to phobias. There can be a big difference between "I hate all vegetables and they make me sick" and "I'm fine with vegetables in some forms but not in others." If your internal dialogue is reinforcing the idea that onion in any form makes you gag, it's really difficult to move off of that, whereas it may be easier to expand if we're starting from the latter perspective.

janejellyroll

AliceDark wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

rankinsect wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

I'm curious...do you not eat things like pizza? What about marinara?

I won't speak for the OP, but when I was dealing with my own food aversions, tomato sauce was "OK" and a slice of tomato was "not OK" and nauseating. Fundamentally, a phobia is an irrational fear; it often follows its own rules but those rules need not make sense.

When I was very young, I didn't care for tomatoes. When I was five or six, a babysitter forced me to eat a raw tomato and I think that was what triggered a huge aversion to them. I could eat things like marinara sauce, but absolutely couldn't handle raw tomato (and even disliked chunks of cooked tomatoes in sauce or soup). It's only been in the past couple of years that I've grown to appreciate them. I agree, an aversion (or phobia) doesn't have to make sense. It has its own rules.

I completely agree that aversions or phobias don't have to make sense. On the other hand, I think it's important to watch our internal dialogue when it comes to phobias. There can be a big difference between "I hate all vegetables and they make me sick" and "I'm fine with vegetables in some forms but not in others." If your internal dialogue is reinforcing the idea that onion in any form makes you gag, it's really difficult to move off of that, whereas it may be easier to expand if we're starting from the latter perspective.

Oh, I completely agree. In fact, one of the things that caused me to change my mind about tomatoes is that I actually began trying them without repeating in my mind phrases like "This is going to make me gag!" or "I hate tomatoes." Once I began controlling my thoughts, I found that my taste buds were not nearly as fixed as I assumed they were.

RodaRose

It does not matter what you eat. Eat less.

I suggest if you are up to it, try grilling /roasting some veggies that are in the maybe ok possibility BUT if they do not work out, drop the dhole thing and take it easy on yourself.

GemstoneofHeart

I am a picky eater too. But in a different way. I am picky about the details, not so much what it is.
I definitely agree that your taste buds will adapt. I used to eat awful amounts of chocolate, cake, and cookies. Today, my husband got a cookie at lunch and I opted for some watermelon, as cookie sounded gross.
Just keep going and give it time! Props to you for wanting to eat healthier!

jgnatca

There are some great tips on this thread. If you have to choose between boredom and bravery, always pick the brave.

I suggest you don't even to pretend to hide the offending food. I really like the idea of working through the list and working through the easiest to the hardest.

I still don't like mushrooms.