Healthy Foods I am scared of....

Sushi: No way. As far as I'm concerned, "sushi" is a Japanese word for "bait." The nurse in me just can't tolerate the idea of eating any meat that hasn't been cooked thoroughly. Most anything else I will try once, but not sushi.

actually it's just the japanese word for rice. "sushi" doesn't have to involve fish at all.

I'm not scared of any food that is prepared in a fashion normally considered safe and sanitary.

I had being scared or grossed out by food drilled out of me as a kid, (thanks mom and dad) so I'm game to try just about anything once. Fried shrimp brains, check, tasty. Anchovies, garlic and pinapple pizza, check, edible but not enjoyable because it's extremely salty. Muscles, roe, octopus, squid, sea urchin, oysters and more--check, and all tasty. Raw oysters don't do it for me, but fresh local and steamed---well, let's just say I understand why the Japanese word for seafood is literally "ocean happiness" (supposedly). I don't like veal, but I'm not scared of it by any means.

Having said that, I would be too scary to try fugu (poisonous blow fish). No food is worth dying for. Likewise anything still moving or living when it is served is likely to make my stomach rebel at the thought. One food that I have tried and will never eat again, and that's jellyfish sushi. It was the cold, wet, rubber band texture that got the best of me and so I just couldn't get it down in the end. (FYI "Sushi" literally refers to the rice, not the fish)

Otherwise, I'd probably try lots of things, even bugs if the restaurant were known for them.


As for the things I've seen listed:

Cottage Cheese - Yummy if the brand is right. Love it with peas, pepper and salt.
Greek Yogurt - Ok, but not my favorite. Maybe it's the wrong brands that I've tried, but they also seem chalky to me.
Hummus - Very yummy. I've made it from chickpeas, but usually I just buy it. It goes great with cucumbers, crackers, pita bread, or toast.
Avacados - I didn't care for this as I kid. I think it was the slimy green texture that I disliked. Now I love it with everything from sushi to chips to sandwiches and more.
Sweet Potatos - They look normal to me. I don't care for marshmallows with them, but just give me some brown sugar and a bit of butter and I'm happy as a clown. Alternatively, fry them up as tater tots and give me a bit of sweet cinnamon apple sauce, and I'll be in heaven as well.
Quinoa - I've never tried this, but I used to think it was some sort of corn meal product, which I'm fine with. Internet tells me it's a different grain though and thus more like rice or couscouse. As I like corn meal, rice and couscous, I imagine I'd rather like quinoa as well.
Beans--I generally like beans. I've only heard of one that really gives me cause for concern and that's Natto. I saw it on a menu once and teased my SO that he should get it because I'd heard about it's reputation and he had not. The chef refused to let him order it. :P
Brussel spouts- The first time I had these I was a teen. As far as I was concerned they were delicious and I couldn't believe that anyone could possibly hate them! Maybe roasting them with bacon takes the edge of their bad reputations or something.
Beets--I don't think I liked these as a kid. My dad loved them and mom hated them, so we rarely had them. As an adult, I've discovered that I do enjoy them pickled, with goat cheese, on toasty bread.
Sushi--As long as it's fresh it shouldn't smell fishy. Fresh sushi is generally very tasty. Textures can be a bit odd for some fish that's served raw with it though. I'm not a bit fan of tako (raw octopus) sliced because it's chewy. However, the cooked baby octopi are very good. They remind me of calamari but with the texture of "a marshmallow covered in sprinkles" (as SO likes to say).
Coffee--The smell is always better than the taste, but with enough milk and possibly some sweeter, it's enjoyable. Specifically cafe con leche is very good, and iced coffees as well.
Pickles--Bring it on! My favorites are very sour garlic ones, spicy one, or homemade sweet pickles. I don't know why people had sweet pickles, but my great grandma's sweet pickles ruled! Pull open a piping hot and goofy grilled cheese sandwich and stuff some of her cold, thin, crunchy bits of cucumber wonder inside, and that's a tasty sandwich! On that note, hot pickle garlic is also amazing. It smells unbelievably strong, but is milder than the smell would lead you to believe.
Spinach--I learned to eat this as a topping cooked on pizza on an elementary school trip. Now I mostly eat it raw, but it still finds it's way into a lot of cooked dishes at my house.
Almond milk and soy milk--both taste nothing like cow's milk, but are tasty in their own right. I don't cook with them though. They are a lot tastier than that nasty Lactaid brand stuff.
Likewise for roasted cauliflower--it's not a good taste substitution for mashed potatoes in my book, but I do like it as it's own thing.
Celery--Doesn't taste like much to me because it's so watery, but it is refreshing and crunchy--which I enjoy, especially with some sort of dip, like hummus. I had a celery flavored soda though that was very strong in celery flavor, so now the flavor of celery sticky out for me more. Soda was a bit weird, but interesting, and I did finish the 6 pack eventually.
Onions--hated them as a kid. I still hate chopping them because they make me cry so badly. But sometime in my teens I grew to like them when caramelized or grilled. It's been a slow relationship, but now I even enjoy them raw with other things.
Green beans--Hated them as a kid because they were always mushy. A college roommate used to pick them up from the local farmers market and snack on them raw. I thought she was nuts until I tried it. Turns out, I like green beans so long as they aren't over cooked into mushy blob.
Tomatoes--I still don't care for the slimy seeds, but as long as I can get rid of those I rather enjoy it. Sundried is probably my favorite way to eat them though.
Mushrooms--As a kid I didn't like them for the same reason--too slimy--so I used to pick them out of everything, but as an adult, I love them, especially sauteed or roasted.
Olives--Still not a fan of the black ones, so I tend to pick at least some of them off my pizza, but I like the really good olives fresh from Spain.
Ground beef and sausage--I like these, but they can get greasy, which is a turn off.
Hard boiled eggs--Great with salt and pepper
Capers--Never eaten them on their own, as they are very strong, but they go well in sauces for fish and chicken dishes.
Mayo--I prefer Miracle Whip, but Mayo isn't really scary to me.

avocado and hummus

1.) Cottage Cheese - It's such a good source of protein! For me to eat it, it has to be REALLY cold. Like from the fridge to my mouth. Weird? Maybe...
2.) Greek Yogurt - I've been eating it for a while and love it so I have fat free plain and stir in my own fruit. Otherwise, I think the fruit on the botom Chobani is delicious!
3.) Hummus - I've heard it's super easy and cheap to make, but I just buy it myself. My favorite is Whole Foods' store brand, specifically the roasted garlic.
4.) Avocados - MY FAVORITE FOOD! I can eat avocados plain. I especially like it on corn tortillas with some shredded chicken breast and fresh pico de gallo.
5.) Sweet Potatos - Just started eating these and I'm obsessed. Try cutting them in rounds or fries and baking them. SO yummy.
6.) Quinoa - You can make it sweet for breakfast, savory for lunch, or just plain as a side. Not a fan.

I will eat any vegetable, grain, dairy product, etc… I have loved Brussels sprouts since I was 6, love me some fiddle heads, kale chips I make at home!, kelp noodles… meh, but I've tried them! I have no problem trying new things, except for meat. I have serious issues with weird animal parts and things that swim. I was made fun of so much at a job I had once because I was so "picky". I'm sorry but one of those girl's grew up in a house with a butcher, and the other one grew up in the Philippines with a family who made traditional meals. Those two had no problems eating horse, brains, rabbit. I just can not try these things. I can't do it.

Haven't read all of the replies yet!

1.) Cottage Cheese - Yum! Wish it wasn't so high in sodium though!
2.) Greek Yogurt - I still don't *love* it.... but I finally discovered that Fage brand is (to me) far and away better than other brands of greek yogurt. Bonus is it is all natural pronounceable ingredients! I do like subbing Greek yogurt for sour cream, or cooking with it, or using in smoothies.
3.) Hummus - You've probably already gotten this answer, but hummus is chickpeas, olive oil, tahini (sesame seed) paste, and a few other things. It is really good with pita chips or just with raw veggies!
4.) Avacados - I was scared of avocados for YEARS. Then I tried them and love them! I eat with Mexican food (fajitas or taco salad), on burgers, or with BLTs. Throw a couple cloves of garlic and a splash of lemon juice in with your avocado for guacamole!
5.) Sweet Potatos - Yum!!!
6.) Quinoa - I'm so confused on quinoa too! It is one food I am still scared of!

I think I am fairly open to eating new foods, but I'm still not sure of quinoa! I wish I could try some without having to buy a whole container of it! I just started eating sushi and am still not sure on it either... I need to go with someone who is more of a sushi veteran.

1.) Cottage Cheese - I love it with some black pepper and dill pickles...or any type of sweet stuff. I put it in protein smoothies to make it more like a milkshake
2.) Greek Yogurt - I enjoy it
3.) Hummus - LOVE hummus, enjoy making it homemade without tahini or oil though. Great as a veggie dip and on sandwiches
4.) Avacados - Used to hate, and think it tasted like muddy grass...but Ive experienced truly RIPE avacados..if its not soft and a bit squishy it will taste gross! When ripe its savory buttery goodness
5.) Sweet Potatos - delish! Love to bake until extremely soft and top with chunky peanut butter, cinnamon and raisins.
6.) Quinoa - One of my favorite foods. Great for you. Use it anywhere you would rice

Im really not scared of any healthy foods...healthy foods excite me lol

I will not eat liver, mushrooms or fish (except for tuna as in tuna salad and lox) Mushrooms scare me because of a story my mom read me as a little girl haunts me to this day. Go figure. Liver just gross I remember the awful smell when my dad used to cook it..I am turning green just thinking about it :sick: and I just can't eat fish...no way no how..except again tuna salad and lox..

Sushi: No way. As far as I'm concerned, "sushi" is a Japanese word for "bait." The nurse in me just can't tolerate the idea of eating any meat that hasn't been cooked thoroughly. Most anything else I will try once, but not sushi.

actually it's just the japanese word for rice. "sushi" doesn't have to involve fish at all.

Hahaha, yeah, I know. Just to my thinking, raw fish is what you use to catch bigger fish--that you then COOK before you eat!

My dad is a microbiologist and used to be equally unnerved by the idea of eating raw fish, so he would only eat sushi with cooked ingredients, like unagi (BBQ eel) nigiri or tempura rolls. I liked though so sometimes he'd try a bit. Oddly enough, these days it's one of his favorite foods, especially the tuna rolls and nigiri and he doesn't worry about it. I think he started eating it more with co-workers and a few better places opened up in his area, so it grew on him. As long as the fish is fresh and kept cool, it's not that risky, at least not any more so than raw cookie dough with eggs in it or a hamburger that's a pink in the middle or a steak that's a bit more rare than medium.

It's the salad bars that you really have to worry about! Most salad bars are a microbiologist's nightmare. It's a rare thing for him to trust the salad bar or buffet. So I guess I've picked up a bit of that as well. I'm careful about the health ratings at places I eat. Anything less than a 95 and I'm likely to think twice. Anything less than a 90 I absolutely will not eat at.

Most sushi places I eat at have 100 or 99 for their scores, so they're pretty safe. Often they'll even tell you what day the fish came in or have it posted somewhere, so that sort of transparency makes it easier to trust the fish. We sit at the bar when possible, so we see exactly how the chef is handling everything (and sometimes we can score freebies if we get friendly and chatty with the chef).

As for someone saying green tea is too bitter, you might be over steeping it. It only gets *really* bitter if you let it steep too long or in water that is too hot. It's usually just a bit bitter, but a tiny dash of honey helps that.

I also like chopped liver, although I've only had my MIL's version.

Sushi. Never will that enter my mouth

Why? You know not ALL sushi is raw fish right? In fact the word "sushi" refers to the rice. Not the fish.

I thought sushi was disgusting for years too...until I realized that the sushi I had was old and the reason I couldn't stand it was because of the non-fresh fish and the chewy seaweed. Turns out good sushi has none of those qualities.

Now I regularly go out of my way to find the best I can and my favorite is sashimi...which is just straight up raw fish. No rice, no wasabi, no ginger, no seaweed. Just pure...delicious...raw fish.

Any kind of yogurt. The texture makes me feel like I'm going to puke.

I'll buy a few little cups from time to time and mix in something crunchy to see if I like it yet- still hasn't happened. I always end up throwing it away.

BUT- I have discovered fat free plain yogurt for recipes, dips, and such.

What's with all the Quinoa haters?

It's a lot like rice or cous cous with a bit of a nutty taste.

Sweet potato fries are delicious and avocado is good if you spread it on fajita tacos. Now I LOVE avocados.

great Quinoa recipe for those who haven't tried quinoa. My meat eater friend ate some and then grabbed the whole bowl and started chowing!

couple cups cooked tri colored quinoa
1 fennel bulb shaved or sliced thinly
1/2 bunch parsley
1/4 cup dried cranberries or 1/2 cup fresh currants
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup raw walnuts
and top with some thinly shaved parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

I can only really do quinoa when it has spices mixed in and/or is in chili form OR is baked into crackers/breads, then I can't taste it, lol. I wish I could like its nuttiness.

I'm TERRIFIED of branching out to try seafood.... a few years ago I tried shrimp and became somewhat of an addict, last year I tried tilapia and I can stomach it, and a few weeks ago I tried tuna, liked it - even went on a tuna kick for 2 weeks - now I can't do it anymore. I desperately want to try salmon and a few other milder fishes, but I just can't. SUSHI is a HELLLLLL NOOOOOOO for me. So gross. Raw fish? Just wrong.

WTH is jicama? I see recipes with it all the time..... don't know what it is, so don't make any recipes that require it.

I'm also afraif of nut/seed butters, like almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. Same with tahini. What are all these things? LOL.