Fussy Eaters - Please bear with us!!!

TheRealParisLove

I also would like to add that being a fussy eater is a social problem for many people. If your host has taken a great deal of time and effort to prepare a meal and half of his guests refuse to eat it because they "just can't," this is insulting to the host and the fussy eater is placed into an awkward position of pretending to eat the offered meal, and going home hungry.

I don't know if this has always been an issue (somehow I doubt it). My theory is that bottle fed babies grow up to be more fussy eaters as adults as they are not exposed to the flavor molecules in mother's milk, and therefore don't develop a taste for the foods of the region.

I have exactly no scientific evidence of this theory, so I guess it is really just a hypothesis.

FP4HSharon

I wouldn't say I"m hugely fussy (but you know I don't like water ;-), but I had asthma as a child & certain foods brought it on...spicy foods of any kind (anything more spicy than mild salsa), too much pepper, rye, clams, & oysters (which makes me afraid to try scallops). But as I've gotten older I find that more & more foods give me migraines...any kind of non-sugar sweetener, chocolate, tomatoes (except for maybe a very small slice), tomato sauce/paste/diced, cherries, any kind of cured meat (except for bacon, thank God!), grapes/juice, & oranges/juice. Before I started eating healthy, I used to eat a LOT of fat calories, like a big burger every Saturday morning when our family went out for breakfast. Now, if I eat anything that has that much fat in it, I can't eat very much before I feel ill. So some of it may be getting used to things, but I think a lot of what you describe is just how your body is. I've already encountered food snobs you would say "man up," and if they could make everyone eat like them, they would. But as long as you're healthy, then who's to say what you're doing is wrong. I am still trying to find new healthy things to try though.

To me this discussion is kind of like whether people believe you should eat fresh, frozen, or canned veggies. Some say only fresh, but others say that as long as it takes fresh to get to the markets, that frozen is better. Some say canned would also have more nutrients, others say the water leaches out the nutrients. Then others will say to avoid the packaging in frozen & canned, while others are getting food poisoning from fresh. There are probably studies saying that every single thing is bad, as well as every single thing is good. Different things work for different people.

You're doing great, so don't worry about the naysayers.

atrebor18

you aren't alone! i'm a picky eater and recently i've been able to eat new foods like sweet potatoes and tilapia but I still don't like a lot of "normal" food like eggs or chicken and it makes dinners with friends or my bf's family awkward. I make a point to not complain or say anything at all about the food because why should they have to cater to my craziness but his mom is always asking if I had enough and apologizing endlessly. It makes me feel guilty but I can't seem to help my habits. =/
I like some foods in different applications too like I can eat ground beef as taco meat all day long but hamburgers or any other type of beef makes me want to puke. I like the flavor of chicken stock but don't eat actual chicken...why am I so weird? lol

FP4HSharon

but I still don't like a lot of "normal" food like eggs or chicken and it makes dinners with friends or my bf's family awkward. I make a point to not complain or say anything at all about the food because why should they have to cater to my craziness but his mom is always asking if I had enough and apologizing endlessly. It makes me feel guilty but I can't seem to help my habits.

It does make it awkward to have dinner at someone's home doesn't it? But you shouldn't feel guilty, you can't help it. Rather than give someone a list of everything I can't eat, I usually just avoid foods that would put me in the ER w/an asthma attack, and take Motrin with me so I can still eat any foods that cause migraines. But when someone comes to our home, I always make a point of really insisting that I want to know about any food preferences or allergies. Although my husband thinks it's funny to tell hosts that I don't like water...until he gets an elbow in the side. ;-)
ADDED NOTE: With your bf's family, maybe you could give him a list to give to his mom. She sounds like she really wants to consider your preferences, & it'd probably be less awkward coming from your bf. He could let her know that you didn't want to trouble her. I'm sure it would make her very happy to find recipes that you really like. :-)