The title is pretty self-explanatory: picky eaters are picky. I’ve been a picky eater for as long as I can remember. I always stuck with my three major food groups: pasta, chicken fingers and fries, and mac ‘n’ cheese and hotdogs. I rarely tried new things but, being a picky eater myself, I’ve figured out some good ways to get a picky eater to try new things. So, here are five tactics that worked on getting me to try new things.
1. Pay them
Money is always a great incentive to try new things. The amount of money varies with age and food.
When I was younger my dad paid my sister and I a quarter every time we tried something new, and, long story short, last Christmas my Uncle cheated me out of an extra $50—I thought I was going to get $100—to eat a smelt.
2. Make it their only option
Take them to a place with food they haven’t tried or claim not to like—never trust “I don’t like it,” a majority of times I claimed that I was lying and never actually tried the dish. Or just stock the fridge and pantry with things they’ve never had. They’ll have to try something new unless they want to spend money.
I visited my older sister in Tallahassee last Summer and she was in the mood for Pho and convinced me that there might be something on the menu that I’d like. She lied, but I ended up loving Pho because of it.
3. Don’t make fun of their go to foods
Let them have what they want to have. Everyone needs a comfort food and if they eat a lot of one food it’s not a bad thing. It’s just what they’re comfortable with. If you make fun of their favorite meal they are going to be less likely to want to try something you recommend or something you love.
I always hated when my friends and family made fun of my love for hot dogs and mac ‘n’ cheese. As I grew older I ended up rarely trying things my dad or sister offered.
4. Help them, or convince them, to make a life change
If they start a new diet or make a life change eventually they will have to try something new. Help them through the change and help them scour Pinterest for new recipes that meet their diet requirements.
Freshman year I wanted to eat healthier so I tried to eat a salad every other day. That didn’t last long. Recently, I decided to become a Pescatarian and I’ve already tried 3 new foods in the last 2 months: asparagus, black bean burgers, and tomatoes—not in ketchup form—and I actually enjoyed them.
5. Let them be
This one is self-explanatory. If you continually badger a picky eater, or anyone, to try something new or do something new the less likely they are to try or do that thing. At least that was the case for me.
For me, if someone continued to try and get me to eat a food I would convince myself that it probably tastes gross. I would manipulate my thinking so much and put off the vibe that I was going to hate it to the point where if I tried it and actually liked it, I would have to make it seem like I hated it. Badgering definitely kept new things away from me.
There are usually two types of picky eaters: those who will try new things—now or eventually—and those who will never ever EVER try anything new—they will never budge, no matter how hard you try. Whichever picky eater you have in your life, I hope these tactics work for picky pallete!