So.. What if you're the pickiest eater?

How do you make kids eat vegetables? Ground them up and put them in pasta sauce.

There are so many different kinds of veggies, and so many different ways of eating them. I'm not the biggest fan of veggies, either, but I honestly don't think anyone out there has tried EVERY possible combination of vegetable + preparation method before deciding they didn't like veggies at all.

That said, broccolis with some cheese is better than no broccoli at all.

I am probably one of the pickiest eaters ever... What if you don't like a lot of things?
The only fruit I like is Pineapples and I can force myself to eat strawberries sometimes. And broccoli is the only vegatable I like, but it has to have some cheese... I'm not really sure what to do here. Any suggestions?

Eat them anyway, as you know they are good for you. Eat them fist and chase them with something you do like. Not liking something is no reason to not eat it. how many people hate their job but go because they need the money, well veggies are the same as in you need them regardless if you like them or not.

The last time that I responded to a thread from a self described picky eater, I said some things and unintentionally offended them and everyone in it.

As a picky eater, what advice, insight, input are you looking for exactly?

I'd like to give input on some foods, but usually picky eaters reject everything out of hand.

This is funny because pineapple and broccoli have such strong flavors, I am not a huge fan of either. I would start with just a simple salad, something easy like iceberg, it is pretty much water anyways and go from there. If you go into it with an open mind you might surprise yourself.

My taste buds have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. I've found myself eating a lot of things I used to avoid because I "didn't like them." If you haven't tried something in a long time, you might want to give it another try. Here's a suggestion: every time you go grocery shopping, pick up a different vegetable you haven't tried in a long time, or have never tried. Don't buy a lot, just enough for one meal, serving, etc. If you like it, great! If you don't, move on to the next one. Don't forget to try them raw AND cooked, where appropriate. I can't stand broccoli raw because of the texture, but I love it steamed with just some salt.

I'm picky too. I hate certain textures of foods, etc. So what I have done is found ways I can enjoy my veggies. I discovered I LOVE broccoli with low fat cheese. I also love it sauteed in garlic. I also love me some bell peppers in garlic or sauteed in olive oil. So I have found ways to sneak in my veggies and fruits. I can eat a huge salad with tomatoes and cucumbers *both of which I don't like* if I have the dressing I like and some sunfliower seeds.I don't eat things I hate. If I can't mix it with something and enjoy it that way, I will not eat it.

I used to be such a picky eater in my teens - I wouldnt eat anything green, pretty much lived on pasta, chips, potatoes etc. If it had a weird texture, I wouldnt touch it. I'd pick peas out of spag bol, and onions off burgers. I was pretty much the same through uni.

When I left uni, I sort of grew up. I tried mushrooms with my steak and pepper sauce - yummy! Then I tried mixing peppers in with other things I did like! Yummy! Sweetcorn? Started off with loads of butter, now I can eat it cold out the tin! I never ate peas until about 2 years ago when my friend cooked some at a dinner party and I thought it would be rude not to try, now I can't get enough of them!

I have started trying to eat salad - I hate leaves and the texture and I still have to remove the stalks, but I find I can eat rocket and some lettuce with chicken, mushrooms and some dressing. Just mush it up.

The trick is, introduce slowly, in a form that goes with food you already like ie: what I did with steak and mushroom. Once you're used to taste.texture you can start to like it on its own.

I figured I'd have to grow up someday.

Tonight, Im having fish with brocolli (used to loathe), mixed veg (wouldn't touch with a barge pole) and asparagus (hadn't tried until about a year ago).

I was told once that your taste buds change every 7 years. I know there are a lot of things I like now that I didn't before and there are things I know I use to like that I don't care for anymore. So just try, for your health.

Why don't you like these foods? And when was the last time you tried the foods you don't like? I used to not like a lot of different foods but when I tried them in my adulthood.... LOVED them! Try them again if it's been a few years. You may like them:)

You Would! :P

Sorry, I sort of think picky eaters need to grow up. There is a huge and vast array of fantastic, nutritious, interesting - not to mention, delicious food from all over the world out there! We're lucky enough to have access to every kind of food imaginable here in the West. To limit yourself to just a handful of things seems crazy!

I agree. I used to hate veggies, then I realized that I was a grown up, and needed to buck up and stop eating like a child.

How are you preparing your veggies? Roasting them really brings out a nice flavor. Chop up various veggies in equal sizes (I like to use sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and zucchini), then toss them in some olive oil and garlic power. Roast at about 400 for 20-30 minutes.

Experiment with different vegetables. You might be surprised at what you like.

Here are some things I like:

- steamed brocolli w/butter & salt
- sauteed yellow squash using EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
>sometimes I will use a seasoned flour to bread the squash first
- green beans, canned (they are not the best for you, but it's still a vegetable) and add in about a tsp of EVOO for flavor, salt/pepper
to taste and then let boil until almost all the juice is gone
- Frozen or canned white shoepeg corn

My veggie selection is not that grand, but I do try to have at least one of the above with my dinner.

As for fruits, I'm not extremely picky: apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, pineapple (have you ever tried grilling your pineapple...de-lish), cherries, and I like the little peach or pear fruit cups as well.

I am with everyone else - you should try one new vegetable at a time until you find the ones you like and go from there.

Wow... I really hack jobbed where I put my reply. Oops.

I am probably one of the pickiest eaters ever... What if you don't like a lot of things?
The only fruit I like is Pineapples and I can force myself to eat strawberries sometimes. And broccoli is the only vegatable I like, but it has to have some cheese... I'm not really sure what to do here. Any suggestions?

Eat them anyway, as you know they are good for you. Eat them fist and chase them with something you do like. Not liking something is no reason to not eat it. how many people hate their job but go because they need the money, well veggies are the same as in you need them regardless if you like them or not.

There is NO WAY in heck I am eating broccoli or something else I don't like. And comparing eating foods you don't like to going to a job you don't like? Two VERY different things. I HAVE to go to work otherwise I won't have any money. However, hating broccoli and refusing to eat it won't result in me losing my home, my car, etc.

As a picky eater, I will NOT eat something I don't like - whether it is the best thing on earth for me or not. NO freaking way.