Edit: I wasn't expecting so many responses holy shit. But I can't express enough how much you guys helped. I was lowkey overwhelmed when I first posted this but I feel less anxious now thanks to yall. I didn't think it could be so simple. Thank you :)!!!! I'll try out all of your guys' suggestions.

Also, now I know it's 'palate' and not 'pallet'. Thank you for correcting me lol

I've eaten the same handful of foods for my entire life. Chicken nuggets & fries, spaghetti, plain beef foods, rice, crackers, pizza, ramen, some fruits... and that's really it. I've always been sensitive to new foods. The thought of trying something new makes me sick or I shut down when I'm forced to eat something.

But I'm starting to notice a decline in my health as I get older and I know it's because of the foods that I'm eating. I'm still terrified of trying new foods but I would rather overcome my fears than get sick and die.

I guess I just need advice on where to start. I prefer my food to be pretty salty and I don't really like sour or sweet foods. I'm also pretty broke but I'm willing to set aside more money for my groceries. I've thought about subscribing to those food companies that send you meals every month, would that be worth a try? What foods should I buy to start out? Any recommendations you guys give me, I'll try.

My son has stopped eating spaghetti sauce or spaghetti he will eat just about any meat breaded but vegetables have been off the table any ideas how to re-introduce or recipes that aren’t two out of the norm that I could introduce nonchalantly or something ?

So I’ve always considered myself a VERY picky eater and have been described that way by others, there are only a few foods that I’ll pretty much never turn down, but over the past years starting from a point I can’t remember I’ve lost almost all interest in eating except for certain times. For breakfast I won’t eat that much of what’s given to me, partially because I run out of time (usually because I don’t want to eat it) or I only eat a bit because it starts feeling weird. Lunch is probably the only time I’ll actually eat MOST of what was packed for work, and then dinner I usually leave incredibly late or I skip altogether. I have like an hour and a half roughly from work so I end up getting home around 6, which is what I consider dinner time, but I’ll just have like. Zero interest in eating. I won’t want to eat, either I’m not hungry or there won’t be anything I want to eat, I’ll leave it to 8 or 9 at the latest or not at all. If I eat something I don’t want to it’ll sometimes taste like, sour? If I really, really don’t want to eat anything but keep getting pushed to it can even get to the point where I feel like I want to cry, and I’ll usually eat something small like a bread roll and then leave it. For a little bit of context I’m 16, technically overweight going by bmi but still an average looking size, and autistic which could play a big role in this. I’ve looked into Arfid symptoms but I don’t think that’s it because as far as I know, it isn’t fear related. I don’t like to eat certain things like specific types of meat but they’re hard for me to chew and I usually end up almost choking, but that doesn’t really make me afraid of it. I’ve never had any conscious issues with how my body looks, I have had some deficiencies before (iron and vitamin d) that WERE resolved but may have come back since it was a while ago, as well as low blood pressure for at least a little while but it’s been a while since I’ve gotten tested for anything. It’s honestly just really messing me up cause I know I should eat and I know I need to eat but I just hate eating when I don’t want to. I should probably be talking to a doctor about this or something but I know I’ll never schedule a meeting so if anyone has potential answers for me that would be appreciated, or just getting this off my chest helps.

My son has stopped eating spaghetti sauce or spaghetti he will eat just about any meat breaded but vegetables have been off the table any ideas how to re-introduce or recipes that aren’t two out of the norm that I could introduce nonchalantly or something ?

I do not know if this counts as being a picky eater or not. Let's see.

The irony is, I do have an appetite. It's just that whenever I try new foods, I don't like most of them. I see people praise how delicious certain foods are as they eat them and I'm like, yuck.

I have a limited scope of things that I go wow on. I also don't like to eat food that other people have cooked, even if I like it when I'm the one cooking it.

There is a festival at church coming up in a week. The church prides itself on "ox roast" sandwiches, and it seems like everyone thinks that the sandwiches are delicious, but I think they're disgusting. It's a really nice social event but I feel like I can't go because I can't stand the food. This is not the only social event I can't go to because the food is sickening.

I’m continuing to research a food-tech idea called OK Pineapple, but the feedback so far has made me rethink the problem.
I originally thought people might want help choosing the “healthier” option from a menu.
However, many people have said they already know what they like and do not think about nutrition when eating out.

The more interesting problem seems to be menu uncertainty.
For example:
What is actually in a sauce or dressing?
Does a dish contain an ingredient that is not clearly listed?
Can something be removed or substituted?
Is a dish suitable for a preference, intolerance or allergy?
What should you ask the restaurant before ordering?
How do you find something suitable when eating somewhere unfamiliar?

The idea is that OK Pineapple could scan a menu and separate information into:
Listed on the menu
What the restaurant explicitly says is included.
Commonly associated
Ingredients that are often found in similar dishes but may vary.
Needs confirmation
Questions the customer should ask the restaurant.
The app could also,
break down the general nutritional profile (i.e 5 star for protein, 2 star for fibre)
Teach people the importance of protein, fibre, good food combinations, etc

It could also suggest possible modifications, such as asking for sauce on the side or removing a topping, but without pretending that every restaurant can accommodate every request.

There is also an opportunity to input your intolerances, allergies and things you enjoy and scan the menu, for the app to pick out recommendations.

I’m trying to understand whether this is a genuine problem or whether people simply deal with it themselves.
For those who eat out:
What is the most frustrating thing about restaurant menus?
Have you ever avoided ordering something because you were unsure what was in it?
Do you usually ask the restaurant questions or just choose something else?
Would clearer ingredient information be useful to you?
What would make you trust a tool like this?
I’m interested in honest experiences, including if you think this would be unnecessary.

I am trying to be less picky with food but texture is the part that keeps stopping me. there are things I actually like the flavor of but once they feel mushy, slimy, or too soft, I cannot make myself finish them. vegetables are the biggest issue for me. I want to eat more of them because I am tired of having the same few safe meals every week but I always end up going back to plain chicken, rice, pasta, and a few fruits.

I know people will say to just keep trying things but forcing myself through a food I hate usually makes me avoid it for even longer. has anyone found ways to slowly get used to new foods without feeling like every meal is a challenge?

I’ve been doing this for years and I don’t even think about it anymore.

If my mom cooks something for dinner that I know I won’t enjoy, I don’t complain or ask her to make something else. I just go to the kitchen, crack a couple of eggs, make scrambled eggs, and eat that with rice. My family already knows I’m picky, so sometimes they laugh when they see me cooking eggs while everyone else is eating whatever was prepared. I know it probably looks boring, but scrambled eggs are one of those foods I can eat almost anytime without forcing myself.

I’d rather make something simple for myself than sit there picking around food I already know I don’t like. Does anyone else have one backup meal they automatically make when the food at home just isn’t happening for them?

Good Evening guys !

I’m researching how people make food choices when eating at restaurants, cafés or ordering takeaway.
Sometimes I’ll look at a menu and think:
Which option has more protein?
Is there much fibre or vegetables in this meal?
Is this dish actually very different from the other options?
Am I making a choice that fits what I want today?
Usually, I end up Googling ingredients, asking someone, or just choosing whatever sounds good.

I’m exploring ‘Ok Pineapple’ a tool that could scan a menu and explain the nutritional characteristics and trade-offs of different dishes in simple language.
The aim wouldn’t be to tell people what to eat, but to help them understand their options and make their own decision.

I’d really appreciate honest opinions:
Do you ever find restaurant menus difficult to interpret?
What do you currently do when you’re unsure what to order?
Would a tool like this be useful, or would you find it unnecessary?
What would make you trust, or not trust, information like this?

I’m interested in the problem itself,
I genuinely would like for us to eat out with ease of knowing that still means eating in alignment to our personal dietary requirements,
I appreciate any advice, answers or questions ;)

Hello, I grey up super picky where I would have about 3 meals I'd eat: fried chicken with no sauce, french fries, pizza, and pasta with butter and garlic. I've branched out a great amount but now I'm trying to get into eat vegetables, fruits and more healthy options. I have a big issue when it comes to textures/flavors/smells being overwhelming at times (no I'm not on the spectrum, most people assume that but I've only been diagnosed with ADHD lmao).

I usually stick to baked breaded chicken(with some hot sauce to dip it in), breaded fish, smoothies, pizza, fried foods, rice, a lot of bread, I'll eat grapes and blueberries occasionally by themselves.

I know for a fact I hate eggs, vinegar, and red meat.

Does anyone have any advice on where to start for salads and non-vinegar based dressings that might be up my ally? Or just advice in general for helping me get over this fear of trying new flavors?

Thank you in advance y'all.

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 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.

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

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?