When I was a kid, I was a connoisseur of chicken tenders. Adventurous eating just didn’t appeal to me until I was a teen, but once we reach adulthood, most of us graduate from the kids menu to more mature choices. However, not everyone decides to expand their palate as they get older, and according to one man on Reddit, his girlfriend’s picky eating has caused some issues. Below, you’ll find a post that he recently shared on the “Am I the Jerk?” subreddit wondering if he was wrong for refusing to take his girlfriend to any more nice restaurants.
This man is fed up with his girlfriend’s picky eating habits
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And when he refused to pay for meals at fancy restaurants any longer, she didn’t take the news too well
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Picky eating is most prevalent among children, but many adults associate themselves with the label as well
Picky eating is most often associated with children, as many of them have a hard time being open to new foods they’ve never tried or been presented with before, so plenty of restaurants offer chicken tenders, burgers, fries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or quesadillas to appease the simple palates of littles ones. In fact, up to 50% of kids are deemed picky eaters by their parents or caregivers. Most of us end up growing out of this phase through exposure and life experiences, but according to Hana Zickgraf, an assistant professor of psychology who studies eating behavior at the University of South Alabama, about 30% of adults continue to categorize themselves as picky eaters.
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Some people’s tendencies to stick to a limited diet is something we actually evolved to develop, as we’re “biologically prepared to reject really novel foods the first couple times” we try them to prevent ourselves from being poisoned. This is why most picky eating usually peaks around two years old, before we’ve acquired the skills to understand what we actually should be placing in our mouths. But Zickgraf explained to The Washington Post that as we get older, most of us will try more and more foods, helping our bodies understand that these flavors and textures are actually safe, despite our initial instinct that they may not be. Picky eaters, however, don’t always have enough experience trying new foods to understand that they’re not dangerous.
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These dietary habits can negatively impact a person’s health and their social life
Picky eating can also create a vicious cycle of even more picky eating. If a person refuses certain foods, they might be pressured by friends and family members or made fun of, which can lead to even more resistance towards experimenting with new foods. Some people even pick up their picky eating habits from their parents. “We found that children who were pickier had mothers who reported more restriction of unhealthy foods and sweets,” Megan Pesch, M.D., a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital says. “These mothers of picky eaters may be trying to shape their children’s preferences for more palatable and selective diets to be more healthful. But it may not always have the desired effect.”
And if you’re wondering why picky eating is something any of us should be concerned about in the first place, ABC Pediatric Therapy Network notes that picky eating can lead to a variety of negative social and health effects. Picky eating can leave a person without all of the necessary nutrients that a balanced diet will bring them, can lead individuals to become underweight if they’re often refusing food, can create dental problems if the preferred food choices are unhealthy, can decrease cognitive functioning and weaken a person’s immune system when they’re lacking important nutrients. Not to mention how stressful picky eating can make meal times, for all parties involved. Parents may be frustrated trying to get their children to eat, and when it comes to adults, as we see in this Reddit post, picky eating can even cause tension in a relationship or social settings.
So what can be done to prevent or course correct picky eating in adulthood? Jennifer Thomas, co-director of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of The Picky Eater’s Recovery Book, told The Washington Post that it can be helpful to make a list of foods that would benefit you socially and nutritionally and start learning about them, then slowly incorporate them into your meals. It’s also crucial to keep an open mind and go slowly. Thomas reassures picky eaters that if they can’t stand any particular vegetable, for example, there’s no need to fear. Thankfully, there are plenty others to choose from.
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But with patience and determination, adults can teach themselves to expand their culinary palates
It will take time, but with dedication, anyone can work themselves out of their picky eating habits. In fact, it might take lots of time, as research has shown that infants need between 7-12 exposures to a new food before they’ll regularly eat it. “You can’t really expect to be able to form an opinion about it on the first try. That’s just not how omnivores work,” Hana Zickgraf says. And the experts remind picky eaters that you don’t have to love a food to incorporate it into your diet. Eating a wide variety of foods means that every single meal won’t be your favorite food. But they can all be good enough to enjoy them without any panic about trying frightening new ingredients.
Sharing food is one of the best ways we as humans can bond with one another. Food is a major part of many holidays and social gatherings, and even going on dates with a romantic partner often involves some sort of meal or snack. So as hard as it is to be plagued with picky eating, it can be challenging for those individuals’ loved ones as well. We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this man should accept his partner for her picky palate, or do you think he was right to put his foot down? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing picky eating, look no further than right here.
Invested readers began asking for more information on the situation
Some sided with the boyfriend, agreeing that there’s no reason to take his partner to nice restaurants
While others thought that he could have handled the situation more delicately
The post Boyfriend Wonders If He’s A Jerk For Not Wanting To Take His GF Out To Expensive Restaurants Because She “Eats Like A Kid” first appeared on Bored Panda.
Source: boredpanda.com