r/PickyEaters

I want to lose some weight.

The problem is, I dislike most veggies either because of texture or taste.

My work insurance covers part of a nutiritionist’s consultation.

I’m teirrified they’re going to judge me for my eating habits….

I’m not creative with food or that adventurous with food.

As far as I know, I don’t have ARFID nor am I autistic.

How do I approach this?
My husband and I are already trying portion control and it’s helped a little bit.

Ive realized it's not really the taste of most foods that bothers me, it's when the texture changes unexpectedly. For example, I can eat chicken just fine until I get one weird chewy bite, and then suddenly I don't want to finish the rest because I'm worried it'll happen again. The same thing happens with fruit if I bite into a mushy spot, even if the rest of it is perfectly good.

I'm in my mid 20s, so I know it probably sounds childish, but it's been this way for as long as I can remember. My friends joke that I eat like a teenager because I stick to foods that are pretty consistent every time. Has anyone else dealt with this? If you have, were you able to get past it, or did you just find foods that are more predictable?

so does anyone else have a problem with food touching like if I am having garlic bread and sauce gets on it I’m like its bad I can’t eat it

I'm a 13 y.o who would rather go to sleep starving than eat something I dont like and I have only few foods that I enjoy eating, is that a sign or am i making crazy assumptions? 😓 (I had only found out about ARFID recently I'm sorry if I sound ignorant towards ARFID)

Does anyone else struggle with reheated chicken? I was eating leftovers cold, started gagging, and my partner asked why I didn’t heat it up. I explained that specifically microwaved heated chicken takes on a weird “birdy” flavor that is worse than eating chicken cold (but obviously — because of the gagging — it’s still not ideal).

He thinks I’m crazy. However, I know my mom is the same way. I think this is an actual thing.

I think most reheated meat tastes worse. Chicken is not edible to me though, whereas pork or beef are just less appealing.

I don’t think of myself as a picky person until I find myself explaining something like this to someone. I like a wide range of flavors, but I’m very sensitive to textures.

My fiance and I have a 2-year-old son. We've been trying our best to get him to eat actual food but he won't eat any meat we give him (cooked chicken and steak, all bite-sized for example). I'm really lost on what to do and what to try because as of right now, he only eats/intakes baby food smoothies (baby food varieties mixed with milk), junk snacks like oreos that my fiance gives him and toddler-related crunchy snacks. I've tried getting him to eat baby carrots since he likes crunchy foods, but he doesn't like the cold/wet feeling (even after patting it dry with a paper towel). Between me and my fiance, I am the only one working and haven't even had time to make his 2 year doctor appointment, though I have asked my fiance to make the appointment a few times since I'm always at work, but it never ends up getting done. What I'm trying to get with that is I believe my son is AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) as I am on the spectrum and fiance has ADHD. Any help or advice on how to get our son to eat more healthy and even meat-related foods would be much appreciated since we're struggling and some advice from family and friends hasn't worked (the carrots, for example, as well as shredding the meat to seem more appetizing).

Thank you to everyone who commented so far, I will definitely keep trying new things to figure out everything he does and doesn't like and am relieved to hear this is normal. I will also make sure to schedule that doctor's appointment (we normally don't miss appointments because I normally set them up, but work has been crazy).

Hi Everyone!
Like in the title- are there any specific changes you would like to see in society that would let you be more comfortable about social events which are based around group eating - work lunches/ dinners, networking events, going out to eat with friends/ family, dating etc. Assuming you experience higher anxiety around these situations, would like the society to be more educated/ informed about picky eating, which would make them more understanding and less prone to judge others based on what and why they eat the way they do.

Update - Thank you very much for all your answers. It was interesting to read about your experiences and what changes would you like to see. It amazes me how people can’t just accept the fact that others have different food preferences, and that’s the one suggestion that was pointed out the most. List of ingredients at restaurants, preview of the menu, tables with snack trays and with food to assemble the sandwich/ taco yourself, or food from social events sound like great ideas. The comment that stood out for me was about giving support to children, as for them is harder to stand for themselves.
Thank you all and I hope this conversation will keep going.

I was watching the news because why not and some dietician lady or some woman who knows a lot about health literally said that for "picky eaters you have to repeatedly offer the food in the same meal to the child and that all the processed food and juices and snacking is way fixing kids who are picky eaters". And that it was "invented in the early 2000s"which is wrong as picky eaters have always been around and Yeah like that's going to work for children. The news should really be careful of who they have talking about picky eaters because this information is just straight up wrong

I want to get my friend to eat vegetarian, but they have arfid. Please recommend some alternatives, especially proteins. Here are their restrictions:

Vegetables (there’s a lot)

Onions

Mushrooms

Peppers

Any tomatoes that aren’t red and I hate cherry tomatoes as they are very earthy tasting. I only like the big ones and like the plum tomatoes

Any leafy greens like spinach or kale, even normal salad is difficult, I don’t like it raw, like on burgers, I only like it when it’s soaked in salad dressing and has at least one component like cucumber or tomato

Celery

Spring onion

Bamboo sprouts

Broccoli

Eggplant

Zucchini

Peas and beans

Brussels sprouts

Cauliflower

Squash

Sweet potatoes

Avocado

Olives (any kind)

Garlic

Ginger

Turnip

Chili

artichoke

Leek

Radish

Almost any spices that have a strong flavor (like I hate everything except salt and maybe paprika and whatever mix you put on fries) Yes I eat spices but I hate it when they are like visible in sauces or soup, like Parsley or Rosemary

Fruit (there’s less but still much)

Pear

Blueberries

Melon (I love watermelon but any other I hate)

Cherry

Coconut (I love the smell but hate the taste and texture)

Green grapes

Guava

Grapefruit

Plum

Litchi

Pomegranate

Physalis

Date

Papaya

Fig

Quince

Every apple that’s not red (I love the taste of green apple but only in sweets like gum or lollipops)

Cranberry

Else

Any meat that’s not chicken, pork or ground beef

Fish only if it’s crispy marinated

Noodles that aren’t yellow

Pesto. Any kind of pesto or sauce out of glasses or tins by itself.

Passata (I don’t have an issue with tomato sauce, I just don’t like tomato chunks in it)

Paprika and tomato in anything that’s been cooked (I love tomato but only if it’s fresh)

Ramen soup (love the noodles, hate the soup, cause the spices are still visible and it just doesn’t taste good to me)

Any cheese that’s not Swiss cheese

Any juice that’s not apple or orange, sometimes mango but only sometimes, and peach, but only either iced tea or mixed with another fruit component like orange

Any bread with seeds on top or inside. Seeds in general, I don’t like them.

Things that taste overly herby, earthy, salty or smoky (basically anything that’s very seasoned)

Chicken skin,

Things that are overly fried to the point of them being charred, I love fried things, but they have to be balanced and not too crispy, fries for example, they have to have a balance between crispy and soft

Porridge

Rice pudding

Like I said, there’s probably more but that’s all I can think of now

There’s probably more but these are the things I have in mind right now

What I absolutely love

Apples

Kiwi

Rice noodles

Pizza, either plain cheese or with salami

Chicken nuggets, but only the processed ones, not the ones with actual chicken because they tend to have weird or undercooked parts

Oreo chocolate.

Eggs. Any form. I LOVE EGGS.

The combination of Rice noodles, tomatoes and egg. Go-to food.

Sometimes, chopping up veggies real small helps. Or like, rasping them. I eat meat sauce with noodles, even though I know there’s onion and garlic in it, but there are so many other components that I don’t taste them.

I also tend to go off of foods, like at the moment, I can’t eat any type of cold cuts like ham, because it just doesn’t taste good to me.

I also have a really high gut sensitivity, to the point where cold milk or just water with a lot of bubbles give me gut trouble

My boys are 3. They're good eaters aka love to eat but they're getting pickier. I tried to introduce them to quite a few foods before age 2 but there were limits on what I could do, because twin A has a very strong gag reflex and has never really liked certain textures (he'll eat crunchy things, but soup or pasta sauce has to be smooth.. to give an example). I work fulltime and can't eat at the same time as them unless it's the weekend. Not ideal, but not something I can change right now. They have a rotation of things they eat reliably but anything outside of that is 'yucky' or 'scary'. Whole vegetables in any form, unless it's cucumber? Forget it. Regular rice without cheese? Forget it. They'll eat whole grain bread and pasta and waffles all day long. Same with fruit and cheese and yoghurt. Nut butters and hummus too. Sometimes hash browns. I hide vegetables in sugar free or low sugar baked goods and sauces. I try to eat new foods next to them (which they have no interest in trying). I try to be neutral, describe it, not push it. On the weekends we sometimes 'cook'. It doesn't seem to make a difference. Now they've started influencing each other: even in the rare event one of them wants to try something new, if the other one doesn't like it, it's suddenly poison. I feel like I'm failing at this but also they're 3 so maybe this is all very normal? What are your tactics for introducing new foods, especially to those who have twins or kids close in age?

i almost always check the menu before saying yes to eating out. if i can't find something i'll actually eat, i'd rather know ahead of time than sit there stressing about it. does anyone else do this or is it just me?

Since I’m a kid I wanted to be vegetarian ( maybe pescetarian because fish is my only source of protein ) but my parents won’t let me because i’m picky with food.

Now that i’m an adult I thought that I could finally be pescatarian/vegetarian but I still have so many doubts cz im genuinely sooo picky.

What do you guys thing? Do y’all had a similar experience?

I cannot get myself to eat fruits, this has been a problem since i can remember, i've never liked fruit, more like hated it actually.

During primary school we had days were it was mandatory to bring fruit to eat during recess and i always ended up being sent to the principals office because i didnt eat the fruit or i would just push it to the side of the inside of my mouth and not swallow or bite it and i couldnt go outside until i finished it and that resulted in me spending the whole recess in the principals office.

I'm so disgusted by fruit that even looking at it it makes me want to throw up, i can't stand the smell, seeing people eat fruit makes me incredibly uncomfortable and i have to try not to puke whenever someone tells me to hand them a piece of fruit and i have to touch it.

I never really tried any other fruits other than apple, but the smell its too much for me, like just the thought of having to put fruit on my mouth makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.

Its so bad that sometimes i have to leave the room whenever someone eats oranges because the smell its too much for me.

When i was younger my parents tried to hide fruit in other food or smoothies and lie saying that it was a white chocolate milkshake or stuff like that and every single time i clocked that there was fruit so i threw it up.

Everyone tells me that i need to eat fruit to be healthy but toh i would rather be unhealthy than having to put fruit on my mouth, how can i change this?

I’ve had severe ARFID since I was a child and I’ve been recovering from anorexia for the past year. When I say recover, I say that I am actively doing everything I can to eat and regain my strength and change my mindset from what it once was.

But, I live alone and a majority of my income goes towards food because it is impossible for me to meal prep, I’ve tried so many different things and ways to do this for years but it’s always been inconsistent or I just cannot get over the mental barrier of eating it because I’m scared, or nauseous from the thought of the textures.

I eat the same breakfast every morning, it’s protein pancakes with banana and chocolate chips in them, and then I usually eat one other meal. If I eat more than that I get sick.

I am also terrible with cooking because I have ADHD as well, so I’m constantly juggling between taking care of my home, my job, me, and everything else that needs to get done that I’m struggling with.

I really struggle with the idea of protein drinks because the ingredients are cancer causing or horrifically bad for you (I’m terrified of getting any type of illness from food).

So, is there a way that you who have similar struggles as me are finding ways to get your nutrients and accommodate to your other needs?

My biggest pregnancy pet peeve is people not understanding how severe the food aversions are. I always have an awful first trimester with some lingering aversions that last the whole pregnancy. I get really severe disgust levels towards certain foods to the point I’m vomiting several times a day the first 12 weeks.

With this pregnancy, it was chickpea salad, eggs, all meat, most Asian food and fruit punch. I remember feeling awful and sick so I’d picture chickpea salad in my head just to throw up and have some relief for 20 minutes. After eating I’d randomly get super disgusted at the food I just ate and would have the uncontrollable urge to vomit out of nowhere.

I could not open the fridge without vomiting, could not cook dinner without getting grossed out and vomiting. I was so miserable and lost 5 pounds in the span of 3 weeks. I have never experienced anything remotely close to this except for when I’m pregnant.

What really angered me was how people didn’t understand the severity and also tried to compare my suffering to theirs without ever having been pregnant. We went up to visit my SIL towards the end of my first trimester once I started feeling better. She doesn’t have kids and after I mentioned my food aversions being a struggle, she turned the whole thing about herself and how now that she’s been working out more she also doesn’t have an appetite and doesn’t have the desire to eat and how she really needs to get her calories in and is worried she’s not eating enough, despite not having lost any weight. Obviously I’m thinking, “I can guarantee your pain is not the same as mine!”

My other family member (who also hasn’t been pregnant) said she knows what I’m going through because several months ago she ate eggs every single day for breakfast and then got to the point she didn’t want to eat them for a while.

It’s such a strange time of life but I don’t think many people can understand unless they have been pregnant or maybe on a specific type of medication that causes the same reaction. It’s not just a poor appetite or change in taste, it feels like your body is revolting against you from the inside out…at least for me!

i've been trying to eat more foods as an adult, but i still catch myself avoiding things i've never even tried.

growing up, if i didn't like what was for dinner, that was it. i wasn't allowed to make something else or even leave the table until i finished. sometimes i'd just sit there staring at my plate because i couldn't force myself to eat it.

i think somewhere along the way i started associating trying new foods with stress instead of curiosity. even now i get anxious ordering something different because i feel like i'm wasting money if i end up not liking it. i'm trying to get out of that mindset, but it's been harder than i expected.

did anyone else have a similar experience? if you eventually became less picky, what actually helped?

I used to love red meat.

The older I get I’ve become more picky (F21)

But I’ve noticed over the past six months maybe more maybe less I’ve started to really not like meat.

(i’ve become less interested in animal products in general tbh.)

I don’t really like red meat anymore. I used to blame it on the restaurant or a bad cut because I used to love it so much but it’s like I woke up one day and my taste buds are different.

it’s like i’ve became EXTRA picky now.

EDIT: a few have asked but i am not pregnant and i am 100% sure of that

I’ve always had a trouble with vegetables in general. With very few exceptions, both the texture and flavor are horrible no matter how they’re prepared.

The one thing I’ve found to consistently get around this is putting them into foods where they’re not worth the effort to pick out. Peas and corn and the like in fried rice, for instance. Does anyone have any recipes or recommendations for other types of food like that?

P.S. Yes, I also make hidden veggie recipes. They work pretty well, but sometimes I also just want to toss something into a pan and call it a day.

I know everyone's preferences are different, but I never understood why broccoli was a commonly hated food. Besides bad broccoli and maybe the smell while it's cooking, it tastes amazing, it's pretty (it looks like a tree!), has a great crunch, and it goes with so many things.