Do you shudder at the sight of spinach, wrinkle your nose at mushrooms, and draw the line at anything green on your plate? You’re not alone. Picky eating is a common occurrence for people of all ages. While avoiding some foods can be harmless, if you heavily prefer certain foods while heavily avoiding others, it can have more than a few drawbacks. The picky palate comes with a surprising cost, from nutritional deficiencies to social awkwardness. Not sure if you fall into the category of selective eaters? Take our picky eater test and find out.
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What is a picky eater?
A picky eater is someone who has a limited and selective range of food preferences. Picky eaters often avoid certain textures, flavors, or food groups. Although this phenomenon is mostly connected with children, it’s still very common among adults. Becoming a picky eater can be caused by many factors, including sensory sensitivity, fear of new foods, and a preference for routine and familiarity.
A picky eater can have multiple triggers to cause that behavior, including avoiding specific textures, flavors, and even entire food groups. One of the factors that can trigger these feelings is sensory sensitivity.
That can refer to the foods:
- texture;
- smell;
- taste;
- appearance;
If a certain meal looks too mushy or slimy, for example, it can trigger the feelings of discomfort that selective eaters experience. The same goes for smells, especially stronger-smelling foods that aren’t very appealing to their noses.
Certain foods have very unique and distinct flavors (especially bitter and spicy foods). Hence, some people have a harder time enjoying these types of dishes. Finally, the appearance of foods can make a huge impact on whether a picky eater is going to try it. Certain colors can be their throw-off and how the food has been arranged.
Apart from sensory sensitivity, having a fear of new foods can also be a massive contributor to picky eating. You may not be fully aware of it, but previous experiences with some foods can make you anxious about trying something new. This is especially common with children still developing their taste preferences, anxious about trying something different.
If you prefer familiarity and a routine-based lifestyle, you’ve probably carried that over to your eating habits, making it another picky eating trigger.
Selective eating can come in many shapes and sizes, making it very mild in some cases but very severe in others. Want to find out how your eating habits would be considered? Take our picky eater test and find out.
Picky eater test
For each question, assign points based on your preferences:
Vegetables:
- Love them and eat a variety: 1 point
- Eat some, but only specific types: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat vegetables: 4 points
Fruits:
- Enjoy a variety of fruits: 1 point
- Like a few specific fruits: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most fruits: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat fruits: 4 points
Meat:
- Enjoy a variety of meats: 1 point
- Prefer only certain types of meat: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most meats: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat meat: 4 points
Grains:
- Enjoy a variety of grains (rice, pasta, etc.): 1 point
- Prefer specific types of grains: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most grains: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat grains: 4 points
Dairy:
- Enjoy a variety of dairy products: 1 point
- Prefer specific dairy products: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most dairy products: 3 points
- Rarely or never consume dairy: 4 points
Seafood:
- Enjoy a variety of seafood: 1 point
- Prefer specific types of seafood: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most seafood: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat seafood: 4 points
Sweets and Desserts:
- Enjoy a variety of sweets and desserts: 1 point
- Prefer specific types of sweets and desserts: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most sweets and desserts: 3 points
- Rarely or never eat sweets and desserts: 4 points
Snacks:
- Enjoy a variety of snacks: 1 point
- Prefer specific types of snacks: 2 points
- Eat a few, but avoid most snacks: 3 points
- Rarely or never snack: 4 points
Spices and Herbs:
- Enjoy a variety of spices and herbs: 1 point
- Prefer specific spices and herbs: 2 points
- Use only a few, but avoid most spices and herbs: 3 points
- Rarely or never use spices and herbs: 4 points
Beverages:
- Enjoy a variety of beverages: 1 point
- Prefer specific types of beverages: 2 points
- Drink a few, but avoid most beverages: 3 points
- Rarely or never drink beverages: 4 points
Results:
Add up your points from all questions and check out in which category you fit based on your score:
10-18 points: Food explorer
19-25 points: Taste enthusiast
26-32 points: Selective eater
33-40 points: Picky eater
Of course, this picky eater test isn’t definitive, as your preferences and needs can vary due to many other factors. Still, it can be a good guideline and determine whether you should make changes in your dietary habits.
How to stop being a picky eater?
The best approach to overcome picky eating is to take small steps instead of forcing yourself to make drastic changes immediately. Try introducing one or two new flavors to begin with, and as you get used to them, gradually include new ones.
Breaking your habit of picky eating won’t happen overnight. However, if you start small, getting accustomed to the new flavors and pushing through the initial dislike will be much easier. An excellent strategy to make it less frightening is to match it with the foods you already like. That way, the new flavors won’t be overpowering, making it easier to get them down.
Another concept you should embrace is researching the nutritional values of foods you passionately avoid. Many people tend to push broccoli from their plates as far as possible. Yet, this vegetable can improve your heart health, boost your immune system, strengthen your bones, and even prevent cancer. By learning about the health benefits of the foods you avoid, you will have extra motivation to encourage yourself for new culinary experiences.
It’s common for picky eaters to have a hard time preparing the meals as the hesitation kicks in when they’re faced with unfamiliar textures and flavors. To overcome that, you can use a pre-made meals delivery service and expose yourself to new flavors in a more convenient and enjoyable way.
Finally, set realistic goals for your journey. Instead of trying to like everything, focus on expanding your food preferences step by step. It will take time, but as long as you stick to your plan and have patience, you will build your tolerance and reach your objectives.
Final thoughts
Becoming a choosy eater can span all the way from childhood and can happen for a variety of reasons. Still, if you ranked high on our picky eater test, you shouldn’t take that as a permanent state – you can still turn things around with a little effort and consistency.
Start small; maybe try a new spice or a different way to cook something. By experimenting and staying open to new experiences, you’ll soon realize that breaking that habit is an adventure, not a chore. And with so many options, there’s a whole world of flavors to be discovered. Bon appétit.
