Coming from the person that refused to even try french fries until her sophomore year of high school, I completely understand why someone is a picky eater. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but there are ways to expand your food palate. Here is what it’s like to be known as the ~picky eater~ of the friend group, and some tips on how you can change it.
From personal experience, I can tell you all that the worst advice you could give a picky eater is to just “Try something new.” It is not that easy. Especially as a college student, it has become even harder to make sure you aren’t eating the same food everyday. In fact, pasta has pretty much become my dinner for the past three months (that’s healthy, right?). I’ll admit, I’m loving the all carbs diet, but sometimes it can get a bit tiresome.
Tip 1:
So, one of my tips to all of the picky eaters out there: try to incorporate something extra in your meals. Every time you grab a meal from the dining hall, add at least one other food that you normally wouldn’t eat. For example, if you are eating pasta, get a side salad to go with it (not garlic bread, like me). That way you don’t have to completely change your diet, but you can ~spice it up~ and get the best of both worlds.
As the biggest picky eater of the friend group, I just want to talk about the agony that is choosing a restaurant you all want to eat at. 9 out of 10 times, I am not the biggest fan of where we are going. But, I do it because I want to spend time with them, even if that means ordering water from the menu. To all of my friends reading this- yes, I have greatly sacrificed my meals for you.
Tip 2:
How do you avoid this problem? Compromise. Next time you head out to a restaurant and see nothing you could possibly order, let your friends know, and tell them you want to go somewhere different for the next hangout. Or, if you really want to get crazy, look for a meal that has at least a few foods you like, and order from there. As the cliche saying goes: you never know until you try.
Since my middle school days, I would definitely say that my taste buds have grown. It’s difficult to be picky, but as time goes on your taste will change. Over the years I have now branched out to salad, sandwiches, soups, and many more meals. It is extremely nice to have the option of variety- and I would definitely recommend it.
Tip 3:
One more tip that I have learned is to look up new recipes. Even if the recipes you find consist of the same three foods you love presented in different ways- at least there is some sort of diversity. There are billions of options you can choose from; select the one that sounds the best and go from there. Worse comes to worst, you don’t like it and don’t make it again.
Remember: it is okay to be a picky eater. You know what you want, and you know what you don’t. Although everyone else may be more open to other things, that doesn’t mean it's horrible not to be. After all, if you are as happy as me with your daily food habits, I say keep doing you.