How do I stop being a picky eater?!

CBrook04
CBrook04 Posts: 107
in Food and Nutrition
It's getting exhausting.

What are some veggies / foods that are good to start out with & how should I prepare them?

I'm a texture person, I can't stand sauces or anything "wet". BUT, I think it's what I've learned is "normal" rather than tasting good.
I like carrot & turnip (when other people cook them), I just can't seem to cook them right. The only other vegetables I can stomach is potato & corn. I literally cannot bring myself to put different foods in my mouth. I'm starting to hate myself because of it. I will gag & more than likely vomit. I wish there was a switch I could just turn off!

I know ZERO about nutrition & I would really love to be informed & learn about it. Maybe if I understand just why I need to eat healthy then I can start without backtracking. If you have any advice, links to articles, or any kind words be free to share. I've been trying this forever now & never sticking with it. Somethings got to give.

Replies

  • debmartin06
    debmartin06 Posts: 8 Member
    One picky eater to another...I feel your pain. I really enjoy broccoli but have trouble with a lot of other veggies. I tend to like my veggies to be cooked to the point of being soggy because I don't like the texture of crispness in my mouth. However that probably wouldn't help you with your wetness problem. Maybe raw carrot sticks, celery, or cut up cucumber?
  • christianteach
    christianteach Posts: 595 Member
    I'm picky too. I love lots of raw veggies but not many cooked...only green beans, broccoli if baked with Parmesan cheese and a little EVOO, corn but I don't eat that when I'm dieting, and I can tolerate asparagus. So I mostly eat raw veggies, usually in the form of salads but not always. I've heard they lose some of their nutrients when cooked anyway. Just find what you like and build from there.
  • letterfromthesky
    letterfromthesky Posts: 18
    I didn't think I was a picky eater until recently. Growing up I was the kid who ate whatever, because my brother was so fussy he only ate a handful of things (and still does well into his 20s!) Turns out that I'm picky, and my brother is off the charts picky! I've started taking a multivitamin to help with the situation. I am trying new foods, but I know that I am hitting the vast majority of my mircos through my vitamin. I feel so much better, and it takes the pressure off of trying new foods all the time!
  • zornig
    zornig Posts: 336 Member
    How do you feel about salad? Perhaps you could start with lettuce and slowly add in simple things like cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, shredded carrot. There's nothing wrong with sticking to just a few veg that you know you like--try to find one green, one orange, one red, and one yellow to rotate through and you'll be fine! Just don't overdo it on the starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and so on.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    I live with two picky eaters -- my husband and daughter are both very picky. What I notice with both of them is that they try new stuff and old stuff that they don't think they like frequently. Sometimes they are surprised that they really do like something.

    Your tastebuds do change as you get older. People seem to tolerate strong tasting foods, spicy foods and bitter flavors better as they age.

    Just keep trying new things and approach foods with a sense of adventure. Also, try to let go of any anxiety you have surrounding food -- it's just food, if you're feeling afraid, pressured or anxious about trying or liking something, you may be less likely to enjoy it.
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
    My husband is very picky--now in his mid-40's, he suddenly discovered that he likes strawberry & spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette as well as Caesar salad. I think the Caesar salad dressing was like a 'gateway drug' to adding some greens to his very white/yellow (potatoes, corn, mushrooms) repertoire. Maybe it will work for you :).
  • mapnerd2005
    mapnerd2005 Posts: 363
    Start small. You like corn, so try mixing some peas in with the corn. I cannot stand peas on their own (I gag), but when I mix them with corn, they are just fine. Swap out sweet potatos for regular potatos. I like to cut them thin and crisp and bake them for homemade sweet potato fries (slice them really thin, give them a quick spray of pam, shake them around to make sure they're in a single layer in the pan, and put them in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes). Broccoli is good, I prefer steamed. Easy shortcut there is to buy the microwave steamer packets of veggies. It's really hard to mess them up, and frozen veggies retain much of their nutrients because they are flash frozen at peak ripeness. Fresh leafy greens (spring mix of lettuces, etc) are also great! Another favorite is pan-grilled zucchini. Heat a pan to searing temperature, slice zucchini into rounds or sticks (about 1/4 in. thick) and lay them in the pan. I don't even use any oil. I think the important thing is to work toward aquiring a taste for the flavor and texture of the different veggies. It takes time.
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
    I was at a research conference about childhood obesity and getting kids to try and eat new, healthier foods. Honestly, I found it applicable to anyone, not just children. I had the same issue with olives, tomatoes, and lima beans! But every time the opportunity to try them presented itself, I did. Eventually I got over the "ick" and now I like them! I'm still iffy on some types of olives, but I like them for the most part.

    Their research showed that people need to try a food 10-15 times before they develop a taste for it. And it doesn't have to be a big taste, just a taste. Also, experiment with cooking methods (I love oven roasted or grilled vegetables) and spices. Steaming instead of boiling is better for veggies, because lots of the vitamins and minerals leak out into the water. If wet/softness is an issue for you, I definitely suggest roasting or grilling - you get lots of crispiness to the veggies! Some of my favorites are bell peppers, zucchini or yellow squash, onions, little red potatoes (but you do need to parboil them first) and brussels sprouts. Oven baked potatoes are great too. For a crispy skin, don't wrap it in foil. I bake mine at 400 degrees for an hour. Roasted brussels sprouts get super crispy, and I make them spicy with white hot onions and red pepper flakes. Beets are great roasted too, if you slice them 1/4" thick, they caramelize a little! It'll be trial and error, but you'll find things you like!
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    I'd also recommend that you learn to cook. Cooking is fun, and you can make things to exactly your own specifications and taste.

    I recommend Rachel Ray's old cookbooks "30 Minute Meals" if you literally don't know how to cook anything at all. She gives great details about how to do each cooking technique and explains what different cooking terms mean.

    Now, I use allrecipes.com to find new recipes. If you choose 4 or 5 star rated recipes, you generally won't go wrong, and most of the reviewers post helpful tips and tricks in their reviews. If you want to try a new food, you can go to allrecipes.com and type "beets" in the search box, sort your results by rating, and find 100s of different recipes to try.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Buy a few decent cookbooks or take a cooking class. People often think they don't like a food, when in fact they've never had it prepared well. Take beets, for example--most Americans profess a hatred for them because they've eaten them in canned form. There are plenty of tasty things you can do with beets, but people just don't have a clue how to cook them.

    Learn how to use spices and fats in your cooking. Good seasonings and a judicious use of oil go a long way to make vegetables palatable.
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
    Take beets, for example--most Americans profess a hatred for them because they've eaten them in canned form.

    So true. I grew up with canned asparagus and thought that was how they tasted - extremely mushy and wayyy too salty. Then my fiance broiled them with garlic and olive oil and WOAH. Canned vegetables in general are all going to be mushy and a turn-off for anyone. Canned vegetables serve one purpose - to stock up your storm cellar, or as my grandpa did, your Y2K cellar (it was fully stocked till the day he died in 2006 haha).

    I agree- a cooking class is a great idea! Check with your local rec center or community college. Some restaurants offer them too.

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