Picky eaters, you know who you are: You’re that kid who had “Mommie Dearest”-level standoffs over everything from “this tastes
gross/weird/wet” to “omg the green beans are TOUCHING my noodles!”
Now you’re an adult and you want to
drop some pounds. But that means you need to dial in your diet and finally face
the foods that make your palate pucker.
Or maybe not?
Whole, unprocessed foods like lean
proteins, veggies and fruit, and whole grains help form the foundation of a balanced, healthy diet, but pickings can
get slim if your taste buds don’t mesh with the foods that can help you lose weight.
Luckily, there are ways to get around
your picky palate and expand your food horizons. But first, let’s take a quick
look and see how it all started.
Picky
Eaters May Be Born, Not Made
Picky
eating is most often associated with stubborn kids who won’t eat their veggies
or try something new.
But
a person’s food preferences may be genetically preset: In a 2007 study, the
long-standing debate of “nurture versus nature” was applied to picky eating.
For some foods, particularly produce and protein, children simply showed an innate like or dislike.
Kids
are also born with palates that tend to be more sensitive to bitter and sweet flavors than adults, so
what you may have hated as a child (boo, spinach!), you may love as an adult
(hello, spinach and broccoli
strata!).
