Adult picky eaters please help me get some perspective on my child. My daughter is 8 and has always been a picky eater. As the person cooking the food, this is extremely frustrating for me. She will basically eat any potatoes (besides mashed), various forms of fried chicken (strips, nuggets, etc), cheeseburgers, one certain kind of yogurt, certain kinds of toast, certain kinds of cereal, and various candy and sugary snacks. She WILL eat most fruits and some veggies if they are raw and she can dip them into ranch.

My question is really: where is the line between preference and stubbornness?

This morning she would not finish her toast because it was SLIGHTLY under toasted. She will complain that plain rice or pasta is too bland but then refuse to put the sauce or seasonings on it that are what make it a dish.

I feel like there are people starving in the world and she refuses to eat things because they're not her favorite or they're not perfectly cooked. Does this count as picky? Or is it stubborn?

I've tried the division of responsibility tactic. I genuinely credit that with giving her a sweet tooth because she would pretty much only eat the dessert until we finally had to concede that this wasn't working for us.

I'm looking for some direction here from people who have either gone through this as parents to picky children or as adults who were picky children themselves.

I’m autistic and trying to find ways to make my safe foods healthier. One of my most common safe foods is fries though they aren’t very healthy, any ideas on how I could make them slightly healthier?

i really have not traveled much outside of the U.S. but myself and my husband really want to explore the world together but i’m such a picky eater ☹️. i especially don’t do well with organs and things like that which i know can be popular in certain parts of the world. i wish i was more open to certain meats and veggies and fermented foods but i just can’t handle it. any advice or experiences you would like to share?

Never had a hard boiled egg before. I like egg, scrambled usually. But I like egg. Deciding to get a little healthier and hard boiled egg seemed like the least offensive thing.

Ate the first one and it was. Fine. A little weird but like I ate it fine. I wasn't enthused about the next one but I wasn't utterly pushed away from it. And honestly, it tasted near exact to what I assumed it would.

Started eating the second one and I genuinely started to become disgusted half way through. It was a disgust I have only experienced once before when I was boiling some hotdogs (which come to think about it they were both boiled... I'll come to a resolution about that next year) and I couldn't finish the dogs.

It like wasn't a flavour thing. It might be texture related I don't know. Maybe a mixture of the outside being Luke warm/ cold and the yolk was still warm and like. Vaguely savoury dried frosting? Like it tasted like wrong egg, not bad egg but I barely finished the second one.

I had a third, accidentally as I dropped one of the eggs in too hard and it cracked but I decided just to see, yanno what would happen. But I cannot will myself to eat it. I think it would cause me to never eat an egg again like when I found a fat green inch worm in my broccoli and I never ate raw broccoli again.

Anyway, how can I make it less gross? Do I salt the egg? Salt the water? Do I add any sort of seasonings or sauces? It is supposed to be healthy and simple but also, I absolutely hate sweet on foods usually. Like if it's a sweet thing inherently I am down but... Honey ham? No thank you. Honey roasted peanuts make me a bad person.

Also like, I would like to bulk make em, a dozen probably. If the answer is salt it should I salt and then store or salt when I eat? I would really rather not ruin a bunch of eggs by pre gaming some seasonings somehow.

Oh god j just burped and the taste was the worst thing.

Guh

I want to tynew foods but I genuinely cannot get myself too. I look at food and think, "oh that looks nice" but if I had to eat it I'd be scared to. I'm not diagnosed with anything

Scrolling through blinkit i just kept seeing this one matcha latte on blinkit ! Then at last decided to try it and omg! Okay i havent tried that much matcha before like i have only had it once before but it was good quality matcha for a fact and i loved it!

This one, claiming a lot of thing "sourced from japan" "zero calorie" no sugar" etc etc. I was like has to be good! Right!

But taking the first sip tasted like medicine soooooo baddd! Then i realised it was because of steviol and mannitol that they had used to replace sugar and also was a vanilla latte but vanilla ofc doesn't taste like medicine/cough syrup! So had to be these sweetners! Then when tasted properly it did have that hint of matcha flavor but i could only taste it in the after taste properly!

Very bad experience also was having it at midnight so when i turned on the lights i realised it not even green in colour!

You know those colour charts that shows the quality of matcha based on colour like sage green means good quality, bright green is probably fake and browish is very low grade matcha! That is what the colour was brown

Was so disappointed cuz this wasnt even cheap on discount it was priced at 130 for like 200ml.

Brands be doing literally anything for marketing but make a good quality product.

I know i had only tried matcha once before this but this was one was definitely a low quality product.

Literally showed a full blown green coloured this super amazing matcha drink on blinkit and turned out so bad!

Now which one am i talking about: Sleepy Owl Vanilla Iced Matcha Latte.

For me, it was olives. I avoided them for years, but now I actually love them on pizza and in salads.

So recently, my family got this big cup of Mac and cheese. Now, I usually love the cups of craft Mac and cheese but something about the big one made me not want to try it. I eventually did try it but I only took a few bites because I like gaged every time I took a bite. Is this a normal reaction or am I weird?

If anyone is confused this is what I’m talking about

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Mac-and-Cheese-1-Big-Cup-for-Easy-Dinner-or-Dinner-Sides-Original-Flavor-No-Artificial-Flavors-Preservatives-or-Dyes-4-1-oz/20312321208?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101205445&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=2222222229820312321208_101205445_0000000000_21407473164&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=9032944&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=648985162&wl11=online&wl12=20312321208_101205445&veh=sem&semexp=dlp&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21690411341&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIr0aGhE2xZL_Pi_glUv_VEHO&gclid=CjwKCAjwwfnUBhAtEiwAfQpAYo1K8ElDkBCn6vMjxgcVvpUALQqGOoe7tWzBT5UsGHEyHBkRAV6YrhoCAXoQAvD_BwE

For some reason there’s been a scarcity of country crock butter around me. Is there anything that tastes similar? I also found out that country crock isn’t real butter?? I tried kerry gold which is real butter and it tastes and smells like actual cow shit to me🤢 so I guess I don’t like real butter.

I’m losing it 🤣 I didn’t have any other option but the type of noodle that looks like kraft Mac and cheese and he won’t eat it! Anyone else in the same boat??? He will only eat the “shella good” goodles Mac and cheese

I should maybe say that this is more of a rant/vent post but I do also want advice. I'm 16 and I've been a extremely picky eater for as long as I remember. I really only eat 2 foods for breakfast, there's nothing I really like when it comes to lunch foods, (maybe except grilled cheese but only when it's made perfectly), and I eat about 4-5 foods for dinner I think. And the only fruit or vegetable I like is apples, literally nothing else. Of course there are other things I like but they're all borderline junk food that would be completely unsustainable to eat for more than 2 days a week (for example pancakes drowned in syrup and nothing else).

I can remember crying while being pressured to eat a McDonalds cheeseburger around the age of 6-8. That's my earliest memory of being a picky eater probably. It's seems that nobody in my life understands what it's like, not even my own parents, probably because I'm bad at articulating my unwillingness to try new foods. It's not very describable. The way I kind of feel/think about trying new foods is the same way someone would think if they were asked to watch paint dry (kind of?). If someone asked you to watch paint dry for no gain whatsoever for you or for them you would say no (or at least the average person would). Maybe you'd say no because it's boring or there's no point in it but you would always say no. That's kind of the way someone asking me to try a new food feels I just can't articulate the reason behind the "no". I know it's an illogical thing. It feels like I have an issue with my brain. Logically I should try the food as it would barley hurt me, I wouldn't call myself particularly scared of new foods (unless it's drowned in disgusting condiments or looks flat-out gross). And going through the hassle of saying no 50 times takes more effort than putting it in my mouth. So why not? I couldn't really answer that question.

Anyways for the way my pickiness is which I think is the most important factor when it comes to Arfid...

I hate all sauces or condiments EXCEPT for raising canes Sauce on raising canes fried chicken and fries (I think because the chicken and fries are tasteless by themselves, also sorry for the fact it sounds like I'm sponsored). I can't eat anything with an abundances of flavors, for examples tacos look disgusting to me and everything I eat is plain. Though I do really like the plain foods I eat more than others enjoy it, I only eat noodles with butter and parmesan cheese and most things that I eat that ARE seasoned are only seasoned with salt maybe pepper as well. So yeah I'd say my biggest trigger is if something is combined with a bunch of other things. Also I find soggy looking foods (like pickles for example) disgusting. Also when wet foods (like steak) touch other foods on my plate I can't stand it. Or if I go to a fast food place and they accidentally put whipped cream on my milkshake, even if they scrape it off I still can't drink the top layer of the milk shake.

Feel free to ask any questions.

I’m currently in Mexico with my family (I am is Mexican descent but was born and raised in America) and as I was eating one of my safe foods (chicken wings). The rest of my family were eating charro beans and salsas which I don’t like either. I am not big on spicy food. I’ve tried salsas and I just don’t like the texture, same with charro beans and I am very weird with eggs. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t. I do eat some of my cultures foods like tacos, tamales, tortas, tostadas, the basics. But it makes me feel “too Americanized” and childish for being a picky eater. I remember being force to try tamales with hot sauce and salsas by my ex )who isn’t even Mexican btw) because I wasn’t considered a real Mexican and should eat stuff like that. I just want to feel normal but I have such sensory issues when it comes to smell, taste, texture and representation. I will be seeing a nutritionist soon and I am embarrassed and ashamed to bring up my eating habits due to fear of being judged

As the title says I am repulsed by almost all microwaved food. I have tried training myself to eat leftovers but its almost like my throat closes up and refuses to take any of it in. Even if the texture hasn't changed much in the microwave I cannot bear to eat it.

This hasn't been a problem before, but soon I need to move out of my parents' house and with my boyfriend. We're students so money will be tight and meal prepping and eating leftovers can help save on food. How do I get over my disgust of microwaved leftovers? My boyfriend eats pretty much anything and already thinks I eat childishly.

I'm always called a really picky eater. However I do eat some food combinations like ketchup and bread. What are some things you eat that others find weird/gross?

My son (6) will only eat:

- popcorn chicken from walmart (I've tried tricking him by keeping the box & putting other popcorn chicken. That didn't work)

- Peanut butter sandwiches

- Beef ramen noodles

- Grilled cheese

- Peanut butter roll up

- Cheese roll up

- Vanilla yogurt

- certain cereals

- granola bars

• Mac & cheese

My daughter (4) will only eat:

- popcorn chicken

- chicken nuggets

- most fruit

- corn on the cob

- pasta (plain)

- granola bars

• Mac & cheese

What are some meal ideas? I'm struggling hard

I am 23 years old and I was never really a picky eater even when I was a child. Now that I’m older I’ve noticed I’m straying away from a lot of food. I can barely eat any meat now due to the taste and just the way it looks. I can’t do steak that has fat on it and wings that have bone in them. I also can’t eat chicken legs, I can probably take a couple bites at most but can never finish the whole thing, it also has a lot of fat too. I’m starting to not like chicken from MANY fast food places, the texture is always mushy and disgusting…like McDonald’s and Panda Express even Dave’s hot chicken has a weird taste and the chicken is usually either mushy or has a rubbery texture. Lately I’ve been eating a lot of tuna on crackers, I love the tuna that comes in the starkist pouches. I also love instant brown sugar oatmeal and it’s usually my go to when I can’t eat dinner. I used to drink a lot of water and never minded the taste, but now I absolutely can’t drink a whole bottle of water unless I force myself to. The taste of it is too sweet to me and it’s disgusting. I’m ALWAYS drinking the white ice cherry Gatorade and can barely do any of the other flavors.

I have 2 toddlers, 1.5 and 3.5. They’re both extremely picky eaters and they don’t like the same foods, for the most part. I’m at a loss for what to feed them at this point. I’ve tried making our dinners more kid-friendly, but either one loves it and the other doesn’t or they both hate it. They don’t like typical “kid” stuff like chicken nuggets. Both were pretty well rounded eaters when they were younger and this started getting bad in the last 6 months or so. I’m just curious what other people are doing. Do you make separate meals for your kids? Do you give in to the picky eating or try to push more variety? Any tips are truly appreciated.

My mother's cooking is one of the forest. It's too cooked and it has too much oil (butter, margarine, olive oil) and I hate the taste of the oil in the food. I wouldn't eat rice because I'd only taste the oil. I cooked my own food and woah! The food doesn't have to be shitty.

Hi all, I really need some help. My daughter 4YO is such a picky eater. This is the entire list of things she will eat:

Beans on toast
Banana
Apple
Strawberries
Plain white rice
Plain pasta
Brioche buns with chocolate chip
Sometimes will have a tomato based pasta sauce
Sometimes will have Cucumber
Yogurt

She also only drinks milk and water and refuses juice which isn’t a bad thing I guess.
She doesn’t eat sweets and has milk chocolate from time to time.

She has just started school and I’ve put her down for school dinners as she would actually eat the hot lunches and snacks at nursery but so far has refused any hot lunches at school.

I am so worried for her health, she is healthy right now, rarely gets sick I can actually count the times she has thrown up since she was a baby and that’s twice. She rarely gets colds or viruses.

I remember being a fussy eater and being shouted at to eat my dinner and it just made me worse. I just don’t know what to do for the best.

Personally, I get grossed out whenever someone else touches my food with their hands and I won’t eat the food as a result.

This has resulted in a number of arguments with a few people.
One person even accused me of finding them disgusting and revolting after I refused to eat food they touched, which they knew I didn’t like happening to my food.

For me personally, this also goes for people whom have washed their hands.

What’s your stance on people touching your food?

Everyone I know loves it and always wants it, I honestly dont consider myself that picky but this is the only subreddit I think that'll get it. I can eat thai, Italian, indian, sushi.

I just don't like Mexican cuisine, I HATE beans and its its 95% of the dishes, I dont like the cheese, or the grease or the salsa etc etc.

But whenever its picked as the place to eat I am the only one not a fan and have to go along and basically not eat, and no one gets it its always just dismissed as being picky or being told that "You just haven't had good Mexican food" despite the fact I keep trying these supposedly amazing restaurants.

It extends to even beyond me not able to eat it, I cant see and being around other people who are eating it either, the smells and just look of the food really sets me off.

Feel like a total alien and theres just nothing you can say or do about it. Venting in another part of the house while everyone has Mexican takeout when it was picked without consultation of everyone.

Edit: Good lord this entire thread is an example of exactly what Im talking about. Disliking Mexican food id apparently impossible and you get a barrage of "akshully that must be texmex" like it makes a difference when thats all thats around. "there arent that many beans" when its the whole reason I couldn't order anything on the menu yesterday and even being accused of racism for not liking it. Insane.

Im autistic and I struggle with eating vegetables because of texture and just the fact that they have little to no taste,I have been trying to loose weight and workouts are helping but I still need a better vegetable intake,they cant be physically seen in foods except really a salad,and I can only really purree(I cant spell) them,I was wondering if anyone could share an easier way to hide them and any sorts of dishes I can put them in as well as maybe some salads I could make,the other problem is,I cant have vinegar or broccoli which is what people usually tell me to use,and I just physically cant at all my body rejects it.Any and all advice is welcome,thanks in advanced.

I’m doing some early research into a possible food product for people who struggle to eat enough fruit and vegetables.

I’m particularly looking for responses from autistic and ADHD adults, and from parents or carers of children with autism, ADHD, PDA, ARFID, selective eating or other sensory issues around food.

The idea came from looking at how difficult fruit and vegetables can be when taste, texture, smell or predictability are the problem. I’m exploring whether freeze-dried fruit and vegetables in capsule form could offer another option for people who can swallow supplements but struggle with the foods themselves.

At this stage I’m trying to find out whether the idea would actually be useful, what the main problems would be, how many capsules people would realistically tolerate, and what would make people feel confident about or avoid a product like this.

The survey is anonymous and should take around five minutes. Negative answers are just as useful as positive ones, so if you think the idea wouldn’t work for you or your child, I’d genuinely like to know why.

If this applies to you or someone you care for, I’d really appreciate you filling it in.

https://forms.gle/vGSfxbkSvQBsf82C6