I eat like a toddler.

amyalwaysonline6

I only eat chicken nuggets, fish sticks, french fries and spaghetti. I don't eat most fruit or vegetables because I don't like the taste or texture. I really need to eat fruit and vegetables and a variety of food, but I have sensory issues and I don't know where to start. Can anyone help me?

AmyRhubarb

You don't like strawberries? Grapes? Apple sliced dipped in peanut butter? Baby carrots dipped in ranch? Trying to remember more things I fed my kid when she was a toddler...

billsica

grow up and just put it in your mouth. :flowerforyou:

spaghetti squash and deep fried cauliflower. jalapeno poppers?

michellekicks

I suggest therapy. It will be better in the long run if you can get over the texture/taste thing.

RandomMiranda

Do you like smoothies? It might be an easy way for you to get fruit and veggies in without the texture. You can mix whatever fruit you want with milk or yogurt and some ice, or use frozen fruit. You can put in some spinach and if there's a lot of fruit you can't taste the vegetable.
If you eat spaghetti sauce, blend vegetables into the sauce. Just pour the sauce into a blender and add spinach, zuchini, peppers, whatever you want. Blend it up and it probably wouldn't even change the taste of the sauce much.

zoeysasha37

Maybe start with carrot pieces , celery, grape tomatoes , with some ranch dip .....
I make like a mini veggie tray and snack on it through the day ..

jsiricos

Thats ok, make your own nuggets, and fish sticks, sweet potato fries, um.. spagetti squash..

GuruOnAMountain

I'm not a huge fan of veg myself but you can introduce them slowly. Soups are a good idea, also as someone else says, covering them in a sauce or a dip might help you get used to them at first.

Some things are less strong tasting than others and every veg has a different texture so just try lots of different types and cooked in different ways as this makes their texture vary, too. Just tell yourself that this week you are going to try, say, carrots as part of a meal. Don't overload your plate with them, just try a small amount to start.

zoeysasha37

grow up and just put it in your mouth. :flowerforyou:

spaghetti squash and deep fried cauliflower. jalapeno poppers?

Could you please send me recipe on how to fry cauliflower??? I think it sounds awesome!!!!!!!

dbkrantz

You should try to train yourself to like those foods, by introducing them to your diet progressively.

Or, apparently, some people don't like other foods because of some problem and then, I would go see a GP.

Gmtribble90

Maybe you can start by adding chopped veggies into your spaghetti sauce (onions and green peppers, VERY finely chopped, maybe even some small diced tomatoes) . Perhaps homemade, slightly-salted sweet potato fries instead of regular french fries? There are ways to transition, but you just need to want the change in order for it to work. I also like some of Amy's suggestions. Baby carrots dipped in ranch is an awesome combo and so are apple slices dipped in peanut butter.

Boogage

My toddler doesn't eat like that at all, he eats anything and everything lol.

Anyway, if you eat chicken can you not just eat chicken without all the breadcrumbs? How about fish?

Chips will be healthier if you chop and season your own and cook them in the oven. You can make so called 'junk' foods healthier if you make them yourself and control the amount of oil ect

I am very funny with vegetables and fruit too but am slowly coming round- some of them aren't bad. Took me nearly 20 years to try asparagus but once I got over the green-ness and funny plant shape of it it quickly became one of my favourites.

Lots of people freeze fruit, have you tried it that way as it must change the texture at least

mmddwechanged

My children are broccoli, veggie soup, shepherds pie and peas all the time when they were babies.

Op, just pick five things you don't eat and keep offering yourself one of them at meal time. You don't have to eat it, you could smell it or play with it. You need at least seven to ten exposures like this before you will feel ready to try. You can also blend carrots or squash a d "hide" it in your spaghetti sauce. Cut up veggies that are the same colour as french fries like yams or squash so that they look like french fries, then you only have to deal with texture and taste. Put sone green food colouring on your french fries and see if you can tolerate that. Let me know how it goes! Message me for more ideas:)

sunnyskys2013

I read it takes trying something 10 x before you like it. I Know that's true because i did that with my 2 year old, she gagged the first time i gave her a bite of Avocado but by day ten she liked them and ate a half of one. Now she loves them and eats them all the time.
So just pick something and eat a little everyday (it don't have to be a ton) just a bites or 2. Then once you get used to it try something else.

ron2e

grow up and just put it in your mouth. :flowerforyou:

spaghetti squash and deep fried cauliflower. jalapeno poppers?

Could you please send me recipe on how to fry cauliflower??? I think it sounds awesome!!!!!!!

I didn't suggest it, but the usual way is to make a batter, half flour, half cornflour and some cold carbonated water (a tempura batter), dip the cauli in and drop it in some hot oil till the batter is crisp. You can do this with other veg like broccoli also. Not particularly healthy as it is deep fried but very tasty.

NavyKnightAh13

I know there are some veggies and such that I can't stand (avocado one of them, sorry) and well for me, I force myself to eat them, not everyday, but every other.

P.S. my 15 month old eats everything and anything. :bigsmile:

jsd_135

P.S. my 15 month old eats everything and anything. :bigsmile:

Don't get too cocky about this. My now 11-year-old son ate everything until about the age of 2: sweet potatoes, apples, melons, peanut butter, turkey (all of Thanksgiving dinner), dried apricots, hummus, cottage cheese, yogurt, on and on and on. Then he started eliminating one food after another, so that by the time he was 4 he ate almost nothing but bread and crackers. He hated the typical toddler/little kid food (yogurt tubes, chicken nuggets, French fries (!), mac 'n' cheese). He's much better now, but he still has a ways to go to have a normal, non-picky diet. For instance, he will not eat any fruit except for a few non-sweet botanical fruits (e.g., raw peppers and cured olives). He still won't eat peanut butter and doesn't like Nutella (WTF?). For him, it's mostly a texture thing, but taste also plays a role. He does like very umami-intense foods, like anchovies and dry cheeses (like Parmigiano Reggiano), and his favorite meat is lamb.

Odds are, your 18-month-old will not go down this path, but don't be surprised if your good little eater goes through a picky phase for a while. Most of my parent friends' good eaters have done so somewhere between 2 and 6, as did my 7-year-old daughter, but then they go back to "normal." I just remember how proud I was of my little guy (and of myself) for his excellent diet, and then it all came crumbling down. It was a very hard 4 or 5 years.

chillmcgren

Sensory issues are a very real thing! I don't have many sensory issues relating to food, but my sensory issues affect my ability to go to work and the gym (smells) and relate to my husband (sensitive to touch).

I don't know how much help this site can be, try something dedicated to sensory eating difficulties? like http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/picky-eaters.html

If you can identify what kind of sensory triggers you are having you might be able to work around that. Smoothies/soups/steaming could help if it's the crunch that bothers you.

Otterluv

I have a kid on the spectrum, so we've dealt with this at home (sensory issues). The key has been baby steps. When we switched him from skippy to natural peanut butter, I mixed natural PB in with the skippy, each time with less skippy and more natural PB. Now he will only eat the natural stuff. With bread we get the supermarket brand wheat bread, it's not as good as the nice nutty stuff that I prefer, but it's a compromise. Fruits and veggies are tricky. He love granny smith apples, so we keep those in stock. Carrots are also a favorite. Anyway, ease into it a bit at a time. But, stay consistent and work on it. It may be tough at first, but it'll get easier - and you'll find more things that you like.

_Zardoz_

I thought this was going to be a thread about.eating with plastic cutlery and throwing tantrums and food against the walls. Disappointed now.

jeanywren

I have a 15 yr old grandson with this problem. The only way he has made any progress has been with very small steps. Literally a couple of grains of rice to start. He likes wild rice now as his mother used to mix it with white rice and he would pick out the wild ones!!! They eat out a lot and he has specific things that he orders at each place. Not all the healthiest choices for sure. Usually chicken strips and fries. He only eats raw vegetables and not many of them. This kid could live on carbs. Spaghetti with no sauce, bread with nothing on it, plain rice cakes. And he does not have a weight problem. Definitely not a healthy lifestyle as he might find out as he gets older. I think as an adult you have to come to the conclusion to at least "try" some things in small doses.

kr1stadee

This is a little beyond 'grow up and eat'

Check into therapy. There are professionals out there who deal with sensory issues.

My son has an aversion to some textures, and it limits what he eats. It's not so bad that he's missing out on nutrition though.. but if some veggies are too wet or mushy, he gags, and can't eat them (usually he's gagging before it even hits his mouth)

GnomeQueen84

Just stop complaining about it and do it. None of us are going to magically cure your "sensory issues" or make those foods taste different. You do a lot of things you don't actually like when you are being a responsible person.

Emmerz85

Your tastebuds will change, you just have to give them a chance. Once you remove the processed items from your diet and eat only fresh healthy foods, that's what your body will crave. After a while, the other foods will not have the flavor you once thought you tasted. You'll actually be able to taste the chemicals. Give it a try!

mrspedey

Sensory issues are a very real thing! I don't have many sensory issues relating to food, but my sensory issues affect my ability to go to work and the gym (smells) and relate to my husband (sensitive to touch).

***
While I don't debate sensory issues are a real thing, this one takes the cake! Next time I don't want to go to work or have 'relations' I'm going to say my sensory issues are flaring up!

CrazyTrackLady

I only eat chicken nuggets, fish sticks, french fries and spaghetti. I don't eat most fruit or vegetables because I don't like the taste or texture. I really need to eat fruit and vegetables and a variety of food, but I have sensory issues and I don't know where to start. Can anyone help me?

I'm not sure what to suggest, but I sense you might be on the spectrum. You might want to talk to a doctor or nutritionist about this -- as I am sure you know it is not healthy and sustainable for the long run.

Good luck.

chantelp89

That's funny because my toddler eats like a grown up lol

DalekBrittany

Just stop complaining about it and do it. None of us are going to magically cure your "sensory issues" or make those foods taste different. You do a lot of things you don't actually like when you are being a responsible person.

Please, get over yourself. Sensory issues are a real thing for a lot of people, it's not am imaginary thing. Perhaps you should do your research before you ride in on your high horse, making yourself look like a fool.

kittyhasclaws

I get you on the sensory issues. Texture kills me on some things, like bananas, yogurt, eggplant and tomatoes. I only take the first two in smoothies (the frozen fruits and veggies I put in helps it have a milkshake like texture instead), and I just don't bother with eggplant. On tomatoes, I take the time to remove the gooey stuff and seeds, then I'm okay with it. Try some strange veggies that you've never tried before. Find the veggies you do like and keep them on hand at all times.

Contrarian

I picture you, sitting in a giant high-chair, eating dry Cheerios, one by one. It's creepy-cute.

Honestly, you just have to try new things. Some of them will disgust you, but you will find some new foods you will like. Don't give up on yourself.

SoViLicious

grow up and just put it in your mouth. :flowerforyou:

I've heard this before.