Okay so I'm convinced I'm not picky....I just know what I like
Anyway, now being younger and not having kids and always running around how does anyone else deal with this? Meeting up with friends can be diet deadly. I hate being so anal because I also feel like I'm being anti-social. I started a new job 3 months ago, so I'm trying to get to know everyone but they always want to go out to lunch at really crappy places!

The main problem is that I find myself eating the same things over and over and getting bored.

Things I Like:
Turkey and chicken, crab ( hey I'm from Maryland what do you expect lol)
Veal
Potatoes
Corn
Peas
Broccoli
Apples
Bananas
Grapes
Water
Milk

Things I Despise:
Fish
Steak
Any veggie I didnt mention
Any fruit I didnt mention
SALAD!!!!!! UGH!!! The one thing I wish I liked.

Things I just dont consume:
Soda

If you are bored with eating from the list of things you like, it would seem you need to branch out a bit. Try eating a new food every time you go shopping or go out.

Ask for a bite of people's food when you go out to eat. Ask to sample sauces and soups at restaurants. Ask to have something made just for you, using the ingredients you enjoy.

Get a simple cookbook (try getting ones from the library) or research recipes online to try out new foods.

Best of luck!

I have a wonderful cookbook that I;m in love with Better Homes and Garden's 'Dieter's Cookbook' I always cook out of it but I think it's boring too now :-x lol Maybe I just keep to kick my own ***.

I love the idea of trying other's people's choices. Never thought of it. The bf better learn to share hehe Thank you very much!

What about Thai, or Indian, or if you have it Pakaistani, or Greek (I could list forever)? I love, love, love those foods. And it's normally not too hard to get people onboard as far as eating out.

And they all have pretty healthy options that have flavor, which is my main problem with "American" foods. It seems in most "American" places if it can't be deep fried or have a pound of butter on it it's going to taste like cardboard.

Is it a texture thing or just a taste thing?

I think it's just going to come down to trying new things for you. Even things that you don't think you like, people's tastes can change or maybe a different method of cooking would help. For example I used to hate asparagus, even now I don't like it all that much, however when it's grilled with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper it's delicious! I also used to hate squash and now I eat it all the time!

So at least TRY things. If you take a bite and don't like it that's fine, just don't eat it. But you may take a bite and be surprised to learn it's tasty!

I'm a picky eater, also. But since dieting and, well, growing up, I have found that I don't "hate" certain foods like I used to. It just comes down to mind over matter.

When I was a kid, I choked on one of those string-things that come off bananas. I didn't eat bananas for several years because I was afraid. Eventually, it just came down to, 'I hate bananas.' In reality, I quite like the taste of bananas, I just don't like the feeling of gagging. About 4 years ago I started eating bananas again.

My husband is a picky eater. Worse than me. Worse than anyone I know. And in his case, I know the only reason he "hates" so many foods is because he had some kind of negative experience with it (i.e. The other day we went to a fair and passed an Elephant Ear food booth. He stated loudly, "I hate Elephant Ears." I asked him why, since I know of no one who doesn't like deep fried bread with sugar and cinnamon all over it. He replied, "It just makes me throw up." After a bit of prodding, I found out the reason it makes him 'throw up' is because when he was 10 he was at a fair, ate an Elephant Ear, and then made the oh-so-very-smart decision to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl. Of course, he threw up afterward. So now he "hates" Elephant Ears and Tilt-a-Whirls.).

Everyone has different tastes, and sometimes certain tastes just don't appeal to us for whatever reason. But in many cases, it truly does come down to mind over matter. Figuring out the source of your dislike for foods. Have you tried them? Do you honestly dislike the flavor? Can you go into it with an open mind? Can you get past old associations with food?

Pretty much texture. I do try things that I typically havent liked in the past to see if my tastes have change but alas no avail. Lettuce literally makes me gag

Lettuce is my biggest enemy on the texture. I have tried all types and also spinach and its a no go. The texture drives me nuts

This is not a problem we share...I'm the total utter opposite and will eat anything that stays still longer than 5 seconds or doesn't eat me first.

But I am big on trying new foods and new food combinations all the time.

I HATED mushrooms (one of the few things) until my boyfriend convinced me to give them another go so recently I made a mushroom & parmesan white wine risotto and yep...we're friends with mushrooms now :P

Living on campus also taught me to expand my horizons because I really suffered on a steady diet of bread, pasta and 2 minute noodles.

There are also a tonne of different varieties of lettuce ranging from the humble and somewhat boring iceburg to the bitey rockets - then all those frizzy crunchy ones, and the big leafed soft ones, and the ones more like a cabbage...the dark red ones, the purple ones, the dark green ones...oh oh...and the all the baby herb leaves! And beetroot leaves Mmmm....beetroot leaves....

My version of a salad is a "kitchen sink"

Butter beans (legumes)
Water Chestnut (so crunchy and slightly sweet)
Capsicum - red & green (bell peppers to the Americans)
Cucumber
Tomato
Shallot or spanish onion or pickled onion
Feta Cheese or crumbly cheddar
Mixed leaves
Fresh basil
Beetroot
Carrot
...and whatever else is lying around in my crisper

When everything is all mixed together like that there are so many flavour & texture combinations your tastebuds don't have a chance to pick out on thing to dislike lol.

Thanks guys for your help. I'm going to try some new things and let you know how it goes. I'm not as optimistic

good things to get when eating out are broth based soups (chicken noodle, minestrone (spell?), clam chowder (not the creamy new england kind), beef barley, etc etc. also ask for sauces on the side. you can do chicken and rice and one of your desired veggies. a lot of places will also let you substitute veggies (again ask for a kind you like) for the carbs (pasta, rice etc) so try that. you could try sushi and have the cooked/veggie ones? shrimp ones, imitation crab, and eel (like bbq sauce?) are pretty much always cooked. you can get brown rice too... or just do cucumber and avocado etc? if you'll eat them?

the list y ou supplied can make a lot of combos too....

fruit salad with bananas grapes and apples
do you like cheese? ricotta stuffed chicken?

try adding carrot shavings to red pasta sauce -they cook down, you cant taste them and you get the benefit....

umm... the only thing id say you are misisng with that diet are healthy fatty acids (found in fish and nuts) if you like nuts, id eat some, if not i'd take a supplement.

i can give you lots of recipies... i think you can make a lot with your foods. the only prob is you have limited veggies and two of them are carby which means you dont have a lot of "free/super low cal" foods on your plate.... which may make it harder to lose weight? id try one new veggies a week if i were you or somehting like that to see if i could find some i could eat. if its a texture thing try them raw, try them cooked, try them baked, try them pureed etc. keep trying them different ways? for instance you can make baked chicken with a nf ricotta spinach stuffing with a red bell pepper sauce. that way its not a weird texture, but you get the benefits?

veal - get veal filets sliced thinly and pound with mallet (between saran wrap) squeez lemon on it then dip in a bowl with salt, pepper, panko (japanese bread crumbs) and some parsley. coat on all sides. in pan heat some olive oil on med high tell shimmering, cook filets on each side till cooked through and browned (have with broccli - the only non carby veggie on your list).

do you like
red bell peppers?
spinach?
squash?
melons?
onions?
any of these.....just trying to throw out some extras you may have forgotten that dont have too weird of textures?


hoped this helped!

One thing I would suggest would be: when you go out with friends/significant others/etc--TRY what they have and see if you like it. You might be surprised that you actually like things that you think you hate.

I used to be the pickiest eater. I think I assumed I didn't like something because I had issues with a food as a kid. I've also had texture issues with some kinds of food (like tomatoes...I can't STAND the slimyness/taste).

In the last year or so, I've started trying new things and have discovered that I actually like some of the things I used to HATE.

The ONLY salad I like is Caesar salad. The lettuce is crunchy, and I really like the parm. cheese and caesar dressing. WishBone makes a really good dressing. I've found I like more vegetables that I had thought--I think a lot of it has to do with seasoning.