Picky eaters as adults

[cupcakechef]

I know a few people out there who are pretty picky eaters as adults. I was reading an article about it online earlier today - here's a little snippet...

This is what Heather Hill eats: French fries, pasta with butter or marinara sauce, vegetarian pizza, cooked broccoli, corn on the cob and cakes and cookies without nuts.

And what she doesn't eat? Pretty much anything else.

Ms. Hill is what you might call a picky eater. But she isn't a child. She's a 39-year-old mother of three who runs her own business in Raleigh, N.C. She says she is unable to eat other foods. "When I was younger it was cute," Ms. Hill says. "Now it's embarrassing."

Picky eaters tend to gravitate to certain foods, including blander products that are often white or pale colored, like plain pasta or cheese pizza. For reasons that aren't clear, almost all adult picky eaters like French fries and often chicken fingers, health experts say.

Do you know any picky eaters? Amongst them are there any universally accepted foods?

I agree with the article that of the picky eaters I know they all seem to be okay with French fries - bread is another one that seems to be on the "okay" list of the picky eaters I know.

 

[Morning Glory]

Bland pale foods.... I think its a fear of adventure and wanting to play safe, probably stemming from childhood. Having said that I know a lot of people who wouldn't describe themselves as picky who simply won't touch anything remotely spicy, garlicky, fish tasting or smelly cheese (and a host of other things they consider 'foreign'). I have a very well educated friend who only likes bland British food. I hardly ever invite him to dinner because he simply won't eat anything unless its bland! Vegetarian, vegan, allergies I can deal with - but bland I can't do!

 

[Corzhens]

My husband can be called a picky eater but only moderately. He is choosy with food and sometimes he would just eat out when he doesn't like the food served on the dining table. But when he started to be the cook of the house, we were really surprised because he cooks good food. Now we understand why he is a picky eater because he wanted only good food like what he is cooking for us now. So maybe those picky eaters can be good cooks, why not try them out for that?

 

[cupcakechef]

Bland pale foods.... I think its a fear of adventure and wanting to play safe, probably stemming from childhood. Having said that I know a lot of people who wouldn't describe themselves as picky who simply won't touch anything remotely spicy, garlicky, fish tasting or smelly cheese (and a host of other things they consider 'foreign'). I have a very well educated friend who only likes bland British food. I hardly ever invite him to dinner because he simply won't eat anything unless its bland! Vegetarian, vegan, allergies I can deal with - but bland I can't do!

Sounds kind of like my dad - he is very very bland when it comes to food. A steak and potatoes kind of guy. I've tried to get him to branch out and try some new things but he's so reluctant. He eats a lot of my mom's cooking - pastas and lasagne, things like that. But if you try to sneakily add spices he will turn his nose up at it! I've tried suggesting curries and you'd think I was asking him for a kidney!

 

[Morning Glory]

My husband can be called a picky eater but only moderately. He is choosy with food and sometimes he would just eat out when he doesn't like the food served on the dining table. But when he started to be the cook of the house, we were really surprised because he cooks good food. Now we understand why he is a picky eater because he wanted only good food like what he is cooking for us now. So maybe those picky eaters can be good cooks, why not try them out for that?

Not the guy I mentioned above. Believe me on that one!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My step-father is another picky eater which is as a direct result of the boarding school he attended as a kid.
Pretty much the only veg his eats is potatoes, carrots and parsnips but the have to be done a certain way, so forget jacket potatoes, forget potatoes with skins on unless they are moderate sized new potatoes. His favourite potatoes are roasted potatoes which goes without saying and they have to be roasted in olive oil (don't ask). Carrots have to be coated in butter and preferably cooked to the point of disintegrating. Parsnips have to be roasted and only roasted and almost to the point of being burnt.
My mother has managed to introduce him to fresh tomatoes but that is as far as it goes on the veg scene sadly.

 

[purplepen88]

I know a few adult picky eaters. They all are not adventurous eaters and like blander foods. None of them like spices like curry. That would be an assault on their tastebuds. What I've noticed is that these picky eaters eat like children. They like plain pizzas, french fries, chicken nuggets. It seems like their tastebuds just haven't matured to enjoy eating different flavours, textures, colours, smells etc. It's just such a shame.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

My mother when she reached her senior years had became a picky eater already. Not unlike when she was still young she eats everything she wants. Now she is already a very health conscious person. I remembered she was always saying when someone is telling her why you are only eating a little...She would always said "The less you eat, the less you will get sick"...That is always her dialogue when we are eating and like what she said she eat less salt, less sweet, as in all less...That is why all her grandchildren sometimes makes a fun of her.

 

[Lullabelle]

A few weeks ago we had dinner in our local pub, at the table next to us was a couple with a young child. Both adults ordered burgers, when the food arrived the guy removed the top piece of bun, scrapped off the cheese, picked out the tomato and lettuce then put the top piece of bun back on top on his burger then ate it. What a waste, why not just ask for a burger and nothing else added instead of throwing food away. On saying that my colleague will buy a ham salad cob then pick out the tomato and pick off any bits of fat no matter how small before she eats it.

I grew up in a house with very little money so food was not wasted, even though my husband and I are financially stable I still cannot bare to see food thrown away.

 

[sidevalve]

I grew up in a house with very little money so food was not wasted, even though my husband and I are financially stable I still cannot bare to see food thrown away.

I agree with that idea. IMHO there are three types of 'picky' eater 1 - the older generation that have never tried anything else. mostly caused I think by either shortages after the war [we in Britain still had rationing in the mid fifties]. 2 - spoilt kids [oddly they are usually fat too] where parents pander to every whim and 3 - those who have never had the misfortune to be basically on a [very] tight budget.
Just wanting good or well cooked food isn't really the same and I can 100% understand that

 

[Pat]

I don't like to see food wasted so when I cook for my grandkids I only cook what I know they will eat. I have a nervous stomach so I don't eat a lot of foods which does give the impression that I am a picky eater and have to limit my salt intake also.

 

[Lullabelle]

I don't like to see food wasted so when I cook for my grandkids I only cook what I know they will eat. I have a nervous stomach so I don't eat a lot of foods which does give the impression that I am a picky eater and have to limit my salt intake also.

There is a difference between being picky and being careful to a digestive issue

 

[Lullabelle]

I agree with that idea. IMHO there are three types of 'picky' eater 1 - the older generation that have never tried anything else. mostly caused I think by either shortages after the war [we in Britain still had rationing in the mid fifties]. 2 - spoilt kids [oddly they are usually fat too] where parents pander to every whim and 3 - those who have never had the misfortune to be basically on a [very] tight budget.
Just wanting good or well cooked food isn't really the same and I can 100% understand that

Both of my parents were brought up and meat and 2 veg and that is what they stuck to, they were not introduced to different things growing up and then when us kids arrived they kept things simple due to finances. When I was a kid there wasn't much choice anyway tbh.

 

[Caribbean girl]

I would have to say that I was more of a picky eater when I was a child. Nowadays, I am not as picky, but I have become more health conscious and so prefer to eat more nutritious foods. I would not describe eating healthy foods over fast food or not-so-healthy foods as being picky, since I still like to have some fast food on occasion. I prefer to eat these types of foods in moderation though. I do know some picky eaters though, and some who have been this way from childhood days.

 

[MyExWasAChef]

I think picky eating stem from childhood formation as well. Picky eating is defensive eating, you want to play safe and comfortable-- everything else in your life might be out of control but atleast you can take control of what you eat. I'm the reverse actually I'll try anything once and if I like it I'll continue to eat it in the future.