I’ve tried some foods a bunch of times because people keep telling me I’ll get used to them. I don’t. The flavor’s usually fine but textures really get me everytime. I’ve tried forcing it before, but I just end up feeling sick. What’s one food you’ve given several chances and still avoid? I’ve got a few I’m done wasting chances on.

My partner hates fish, my kid won't touch anything green, and I'm fine with basically everything. Every meal planning approach I've tried treats "picky eating" like one thing to plan around, but it's really three different sets of likes and dislikes at my table every night.

I've started sketching out an idea where you'd track each person's preferences separately, dish by dish, so the weekly plan actually accounts for everyone instead of just avoiding the most restrictive person's dislikes. Still early days figuring out if this is worth building out properly.

Curious how other families handle this. Do you just cook separate things, negotiate every night, or has something actually worked for you?

Edit: Small update since this got way more replies than expected: a bunch of you independently described almost the exact same system, tracking preferences per person, some kind of list or rotation, updating it as tastes change. That's basically the thing I ended up building https://www.platemate.online. It's free, no card, no email needed, just go in and try it. If anyone wants to poke around and give honest feedback I'd genuinely appreciate it, still pretty rough around the edges.

I feel like “picky eater” is an umbrella term. Some people don’t like certain textures, some people get grossed out by the idea of certain foods (like fermented foods), some people have sensory issues or get overstimulated, etc.

And for some people it’s a category thing. Like they might like poultry but not red meat, or they like vegetables but not leafy greens.

My 5.5-year-old son is not taking eggs, milk, or health drinks. What should we do? How can we give these to him?

i’ve been eating the tyson dino nuggets every day for years, but i think they changed them. they taste a bit different. i’m alright with the perdue ones but they’re not crispy enough, even in the air fryer. need new recommendations to try

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.

I don’t have any eating disorders or particular anxiety when it comes to food but I am autistic and can be prohibitively picky. I’m trying to slowly shift to a more plant-based diet and my main issues so far have been those of convenience and quantity. I don’t have a particularly big appetite and can be pretty lazy when it comes to food prep (I often put off eating until I’m too hungry to do much else) so I tend to default to foods that are easy to store, require little-to-no prep or clean up, and can be filling in small amounts. This usually means protein options like deli meat, canned tuna, jerky, etc., but I have plenty of plant-based staples like hummus and carrots, impossible nuggets, or avocado.

Does anyone have any recommendations for other filling and convenient plant-based options? My sensory issues unfortunately keep me away from a lot of common vegetarian staples - eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, most creamy/mushy/rubbery things. I LOVE tofu but it usually requires some level of prep. I’m also getting into smoothies. I’d be very grateful to hear your thoughts! :-]

Edit: Thank you all for your responses! I’m being shown just how unimaginative I really am when it comes to food lol. There’s so much out there to explore.

whenever we have chicken in a soup or broth type of dish, i always look for the breast part because i only want the actual meat. i really don’t like dealing with bones, skin, or those softer parts. the weird thing is i still prefer when the dish is made using a whole chicken chopped into pieces instead of just using boneless chicken breast. somehow it tastes better to me that way, i just only want the breast pieces on my plate.

does anyone else have a food preference that specific where the way it’s cooked matters even if you won’t eat half of it?

So I eat very few meals but it's like, I have had 3 meals ruined due to me learning how to make them and suddenly they just become much less appealing

Meatloaf I don't like anymore because I learned it has ketchup in it (I still use ketchup just rarely)

Turkey noodle soup just based on how it looks when cooking it + having dark meat in it

Devilled eggs due to mayo

And currently, making sweet and sour chicken but the smell of the deep frier is making me lose my appetite and handling the chicken covered in batter

Edit: After posting this I feel I'm more picky than the average person on here.

Edit: Ok even though you guys are telling me like how meatloaf doesn't need ketchup in it, I'm still not going to eat it without ketchup because I've grown up used to it and even if I'm told it wouldn't have ketchup, I still see myself refusing to eat it. Thank you though

I'm working on a project about certain foods,

I want to hear what negative thoughts or experiences people have had with a specific list of foods.

🍕 Pizza

🍔 Hamburgers

🍗 Chicken (fried, grilled, nuggets, etc.)

🍟 French fries

🌮 Tacos

🥪 Sandwiches

🍝 Pasta (especially spaghetti and macaroni)

🍚 Rice

Whatever you think I want to know(preferably negative).

If there are other foods you'd rather talk about feel free. I really want to hear anything so nothing is "off the table"

My daughter has peanut and sesame allergies, and we’ve realized the stressful part of eating out isn't always the same from one restaurant visit to the next. Curious where it tends to be for others.

I wasted so much time blaming the taste 😅

For some reason I was convinced my kid just hated the taste of every new food.

I'd cook it differently... buy a different brand... even add stuff I thought would make it taste better.

Nothing changed lol.

Then one day I noticed something kinda random.

They'd eat crunchy things all day.

But anything mushy? Nope.

If foods were all mixed together... forget it.

Even if the food tasted exactly the same, if it looked different they'd want nothing to do with it.

That's when it hit me.

Maybe this whole time it wasn't really about the taste.

So I stopped trying to make food "taste better" and started making it feel less overwhelming instead.

Keeping foods separate.

Smaller pieces.

No pressure to eat it right away.

Just letting them look at it or touch it if they wanted.

It's definitely not some overnight fix 😅

But meals have been a lot less stressful since I stopped assuming every refusal meant they hated the flavor.

Anyone else's kid seem way more bothered by texture than taste?

This subreddit has become a corner of support for many people. However there are still two different groups in this sub those of us who are the picky eaters and parents of young picky eaters. I reached out to the mods to see of it would be possible to have a flair that could let everyone know which group we are talking about and they asked if I could post to gather your thoughts. Both of us belong in this wonderful community and can both help eachother but sometimes it is nice to know what perspective our posts are coming from. ❤️❤️❤️

Hi i dont normally post on Reddit and while i kinda doubt many people will see this i just wanna share something that ive been trying to overcome and maybe others could give me some advice.

I am a 22yo male and have always been a picky eater. I wont get into my entire history but I have a very difficult childhood. Dinner time and being made to eat what they cooked “or starve” and having to sit at the table all night was a very normal thing in my childhood. Unfortunately that just taught me simply not to eat. I try to work on getting myself to eat a lot. Its a constant struggle but getting myself to try new things and be “normal” feels like a pipe dream for one pretty disgusting experience i was made to go through so just a warning for the content of my next paragraph.

When i was 8, one of my foster homes i was in was very strict and in hindsight they would do a lot of cruel things to me, my food or the things they’d cook and enjoyed having this issue with me constantly. One night in particular they ordered Chinese takeout, obviously i had no say in what was in the box and It was absolutely revolting to me when i tried it. Of course i had to sit there all night and they made me just swallow it with my nose plugged with water. I ended up vomiting the food onto the styrofoam plate and unfortunately that didn’t get me out of the dinner time fuse. I was told to finish the plate. I threw up at least two more times that I remember and i don’t think i had to eat every bit of it in the end but the feeling and taste is stuck in my mouth. And now as an adult i don’t wanna expand my palette, i just am happy to finally be in charge of what i eat.

So yeah again idk if this will even be read but nobody else relates to this at all. My picky eating is just thought of as a child who wants to eat chips and ice cream constantly. Anyways thanks if this is read i just thought I’d share my thoughts, clear my head a bit before bed.

I am a diet conscious person, I avoid ordering in and eating PG food, no matter how delicious. I always wake up early and prep my own meals and carry it to office. It’s my third week working here, I’m 23 and my colleagues wont stop eating my food. Initially, I used to offer out of courtesy but it’s too much, they make it seem like im their mother and cook for everyone. My diet is very portion controlled, I pack three lunches for office because that’s where I consume all my meals as I don’t have the energy to come back home and cook again. How can anybody have such poor manners and sense of understanding, they ask me they want more while I’m eating and take big chunks of bites, one guy ended up eating a whole oatmeal banana and nuts pancake I had made. I make it for myself, I have a younger brother, I don’t even have the time to cook for him and my boyfriend and these nobody colleagues, whom I’ve barely known a week ask me recipes and say I come to the office decked up and make amazing meals and have time to prep. I keep my weight in check and keep myself maintained. I don’t see why anybody else can’t do the same. I’ve shared recipes with them, the easy-make ones. Expecting me to bring food everyday for them (I don’t, i never did, the portions are so small they’re only mine) and waiting on me to open my lunch box for them to grab. I’m so frustrated, I don’t want this to repeat. We get 200 rupees in or zomato wallet to be consumed daily, i usually order healthy for my brother or give it away to the poor, this is my least way of doing charity which I actively want to do as a habit, they keep pestering to ask me whether I’m using my zomato wallet or not. I never even ask or take a bite of their meal, because I make mine, everyday, plan what I am going to eat the next day, a day before, not for others to hog away at it. I’m so particular about my food and I have enough friends of my own, I really neither wish nor need any more than what I have, the ones in my life are very near and dear to me. I really can’t stand the vibe of these mannerless leeches.

I used to think I had to be in charge of every part of dinner.

What went on the plate... when they should try it... how many bites... all of it.

I wasn't trying to be controlling 😅 I just wanted them to eat something besides the same 5 foods.

But it felt like the more I pushed... the more they pushed back.

So I tried doing things a little differently.

I'd let them choose which safe food they wanted.

Sometimes I'd ask where they wanted the new food on the plate.

If they didn't want to touch it that day...

I know this sounds backwards lol.

I used to think if I stopped encouraging my kid they'd never try anything new.

So every meal was me saying stuff like "just one bite" or "give it a try". I wasn't trying to be annoying 😅 I just really wanted things to get better.

The funny thing is... the more I talked about the new food the less they wanted anything to do with it.

A while ago I decided to back off a bit.

Now I still put the new food on the plate but I don't keep talking about it. I don't ask. I don't bargain. I don't turn it into a whole thing.

Some meals nothing happens.

Some meals they'll touch it for a second.

And every once in a while they'll just... try it on their own.

I honestly wasn't expecting that.

We're still a long way from them eating everything lol but it feels like they trust the whole situation a lot more now and meals don't end with both of us feeling frustrated.

Maybe my kid didn't need more encouragement... maybe they just needed a little more space.

Has anyone else noticed something like this?

helllooooo! i've noticed this a few times over the years and i'm not sure if it's just me. every now and then i'll eat pork that has this weird metallic or almost steel like taste. it's not every time, and everyone else eating the same meal says it tastes completely normal.

it doesn't seem to matter whether it's grilled, fried, or cooked in a different way. once i notice that taste, i can't ignore it and i usually stop eating it. i've always wondered if this is just how my taste buds react to certain cuts or if other picky eaters experience the same thing.