Dealing with a PICKY eater

BluBecca

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

I am at my wits end with my husband's pickiness. He doesn't like any veggies except corn & carrots. He doesn't like any fruit except green apples & bananas. He doesn't like beans, spicy food, olives, sour cream, cottage cheese, ketchup or any other kind of condiments, and there is probably a lot longer list.

This really messes up my diet, and frustrates me because I feel like I can't cook what I like. He gripes and complains if I add something he doesn't approve of. Even if he can just pick it out. He claims things make him sick, but if I cook chicken with black beans and he picks the beans out, he is still eating the juice. So wouldn't that make him sick?

It's gottens so bad that I feel guilty if I cook chicken alfredo with broccoli, or stir fry with bell peppers. I feel guilty when I even buy tomatoes. I am not FORCING him to eat them. I just want to cook the food. If he doesn't want to eat something he can pick it out. But he sees this as me being selfish and not considering his feelings. Then he yells, and we get in a big fight over something so stupid. I just want to get healthy and would like it if he would join me in this journey, and support me. <sigh>

Does anyone else have a spouse or child like this? Do you have any advice on how to work around it, or to get him to TRY new things??

RobinC37

My boyfriend is like this!! Let's be friends!

He will literally ONLY eat tinned veggies- corn, peas, and green beans. His fruit intake consists of mandarin oranges and strawberry fruit popsicles.

I sneak him veggies in chili and sauces by mincing green peppers and onions so small into marinara sauce he can't identify them. A lot of times I modify our meals to be similar. I'll make him a double bacon cheeseburger, and I'll have a venison patty with laughing cow and turkey bacon on a bed of spinach. Having a large griddle is great because I can use half for "his food" and half for mine without making a lot of dirty pots. I eat a lot of raw vegetables so I don't do extra cooking. We compromise on his veggies by buying the cans without salt. I heat it and then remove my portion before adding all the butter and salt he likes.

Another recent victory is I have gotten him in the habit of drinking a glass of water every day. This man literally only drinks Pepsi or an occasional coffee loaded with cream and sugar.

I know the biggest problem is he's never been exposed to a lot of my foods before. He's a good ol' southern boy raised on Paula Dean, so his main dietary staples are cream, butter, salt, and sugar. For now, I have only been cooking one meal a week that he has to put up and shut up with. Recently I made a tex-mex stew with black and pinto beans. It got a rating of "not awful".

OH! He definitely does the fake allergy thing, too! Like he's allergic to eggs, but only by themselves. They're fine as French toast. And he's allergic to milk, but only glasses of milk. If it's on cereal it's fine. He eat American, Italian, and Mexican, but that's it. His excuse is "What if I'm allergic to something in it?" Very very frustrating.

Bumbeen

OH! He definitely does the fake allergy thing, too! Like he's allergic to eggs, but only by themselves. They're fine as French toast. And he's allergic to milk, but only glasses of milk. If it's on cereal it's fine. He eat American, Italian, and Mexican, but that's it. His excuse is "What if I'm allergic to something in it?" Very very frustrating.

This. Is. Hilarious.

Bumbeen

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

I am at my wits end with my husband's pickiness. He doesn't like any veggies except corn & carrots. He doesn't like any fruit except green apples & bananas. He doesn't like beans, spicy food, olives, sour cream, cottage cheese, ketchup or any other kind of condiments, and there is probably a lot longer list.

This really messes up my diet, and frustrates me because I feel like I can't cook what I like. He gripes and complains if I add something he doesn't approve of. Even if he can just pick it out. He claims things make him sick, but if I cook chicken with black beans and he picks the beans out, he is still eating the juice. So wouldn't that make him sick?

It's gottens so bad that I feel guilty if I cook chicken alfredo with broccoli, or stir fry with bell peppers. I feel guilty when I even buy tomatoes. I am not FORCING him to eat them. I just want to cook the food. If he doesn't want to eat something he can pick it out. But he sees this as me being selfish and not considering his feelings. Then he yells, and we get in a big fight over something so stupid. I just want to get healthy and would like it if he would join me in this journey, and support me. <sigh>

Does anyone else have a spouse or child like this? Do you have any advice on how to work around it, or to get him to TRY new things??

Tell him to suck it up. I would love to have a woman cook for me.. ugh..

danamariers

My husband was exactly like that- didn't like anything. So I stopped cooking to accomodate his pickiness. I make enough for 2 people. If he likes it, then he's welcome to eat what I make. If not, he has to make his own stuf and I take leftovers for lunch.

Initially he didn't like it because we weren't eating together but I don't run a restaurant. Eat what I make or fend for yourself. Now he tries new things and is actually enjoying eating meals that don't consist primarily of pasta/cheese. Even when I have my picky nieces/nephews over it's the same rule: you get a choice of things I can make for supper- pick it out and eat it. If they decide they don't want it, I put their meal aside and will heat it up when they're ready to eat.

traceytwink

Um ever thought about telling him if he doesn't like it cook his own meals, don't feel guilty about eating the good stuff ( I mean veggies) think he might change his mind then try it you never know ????

purplegoboom

He's an adult and and can make his own dinner. If I make dinner for the night in my house, it's "you either eat what I cook or make your own food". It's the same if my husband cooks, if I don't like it I get my own food.

Explain your doing this for your own health and his as well, and how important it is to you. Tell him how unhealthy dinners are negativly impacting your health. If your man refuses to change, fine. Buy him frozen dinners, continue making the healthy stuff for yourself. If he complains "there's frozen pizza in the freezer."

speedgraphic19

Tell him if he's going to be that picky (and that obnoxious about being that picky), he'll have to cook his own meals.

It sounds like he's being a bit of a manchild about this so going all or nothing might be your best bet.

purplegoboom

Tell him if he's going to be that picky (and that obnoxious about being that picky), he'll have to cook his own meals.

It sounds like he's being a bit of a manchild about this so going all or nothing might be your best bet.

Manchild is such a great description.

GuybrushThreepw00d

He's an adult and and can make his own dinner. If I make dinner for the night in my house, it's "you either eat what I cook or make your own food". It's the same if my husband cooks, if I don't like it I get my own food.

^^ this. Time to share the cooking.

Also, tell him to man up, and stop whining.

Mamabrandyk

My husband too, I will make the full meal for him and the kids and a modified meal for me. Example: Spagghetti - I make thiers with noodles, salad and bread. I make mine with the sauce over chicken or fish and a salad.

I am cooking for a big family so I know its a little different. And yes, if he doesn't like what you are making - let him make his own dinner!! I would not be mad if I had dinner made for me everynight.

horseplaypen

My boyfriend can be picky too, but lucky for me in the opposite way! He was vegetarian about six years ago or so, and then swung around and decided to eat paleo. Fortunately, I'm fine with eating this way so I have no problem accommodating his requests, but if I were in your shoes, I would do what many others have already suggested and tell him kindly but firmly that you are his wife, not his personal chef, and ask him to please respect your health enough to understand why you want to eat the way you do, and to respect your time enough to not expect you to cook twice for him.

bluefires1

I make enough for 2 people. If he likes it, then he's welcome to eat what I make. If not, he has to make his own stuf and I take leftovers for lunch.

^^ this.

My husband will eat anything, thank goodness, but I dated a guy for 3 years that was like this. No vegetables. No fruit. No sauces. He wouldn't even eat a pop tart, you never know what's in that filling it might have touched fruit! Favorite meal was plain State Fair frozen corn dogs.

I made what I liked. I kept a loaf of bread and a package of bologna on hand. If he didn't like what I made he could make himself a sandwich or a State Fair corn dog (or 5), though I refused to buy those, he had to buy them himself.

He also had fake allergies. Allergic to onions (but not onion powder), etc.

appelsiinipuu

When I met my husband, he was a super picky eater. But little by little he changed... he started tasting different foods and when he found out that he actually liked them, I think that gave him more confidence.. and that lead to trying even more things! Now he pretty much eats anything and I seem like the picky one. LOL. But I love cooking for him as he always loves it, no matter what I make.

CuteWittleWifey

I make my husband eat what the hell I give him. Lol.
Some things he just deals with...other things we compromise on...like mushrooms. None for him. EVER.

lstnlondry

It's exhausting-especially if your husband is pickier than your 4 children.

billsica

There needs to be more sandwich making and less husband bashing, He isn't on your lifestyle change.

rascallycat

The rule in my house is.. If you don't like what I made to eat, fix your own damn food or starve!

grelca

You might want to look up information on supertasters. It's not the same thing as being picky for being picky's sake. His tastes sound A LOT like mine.

That said, I never expect my mom to cater to me when she's cooking. If she wants something I can't eat, I just make something else for myself.

foxxm

I am this picky eater! Although, I don't do the fake allergy thing. I don't eat beef, seafood, fish, pork, or poultry on a bone. My husband won't touch cheese ravioli or eat a salad that doesn't consist of iceberg, grape tomatos, carrots, TONS of cheese, olives, and a RIVER of dressing.

We do make two meals most nights to keep ourselves happy. What I like to do is make "his and hers" meals. For example if I make lasagne, I only put the beef, onions, and peppers in his side. On my side I use ground turkey or make it just plain cheese. Then I put somthing obvious on top (like an initial made of olives) so we we know who side is whose. Then I tupperware the leftovers to eat later in the week.

You can do this alfredo too. If he doesn't like it, make a small batch and tupperware the extra servings. Then make him a Paula Dean platter and tupperware his extra servings. If you do this a couple nights a weeks, eventually you will have a stash of individual meals and you can eat what you want without him giving you the stinkeye.

devilwhiterose

I'd tell my husband to make his own damn meals then.