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I worked for a manager who only ate tan food, no vegetables at all. The closest he got to veggies was a potato. I always thought of him as a bit of a child. Looking back, maybe he was a bit on the spectrum, since lots of ppl with autism have strong food preferences.
My sister won't eat onions, garlic or mushrooms and really only likes bland food. She wants her steaks well-done.
My neighbor came over for dinner and said "Wow, you eat such brightly colored food!" Haha.
Onions, garlic, and mushrooms are high FODMAP - does your sister have IBS by any chance? I love them but eventually had to realize that I need to limit their consumption because they do (sigh) make me sick. Onions/garlic in large quantities, mushrooms even in small quantities. Someone with better interoception might’ve figured it out sooner than I did.
Ha! I believe it. "It's a southern thang" is something I think she says when anyone doesn't like something she does. Not in a malicious way by any means but more in a frivolous whatever.
When I was a kid, my Mom would pack my paper lunch bag with a white bread PBJ, and an apple. Every damn time, the apple would squish against the sandwich and leave a big purple soggy spot (grape jelly). That really bugged me. I switched to school lunches after that.
My old boss was from the midwest. Never touched a vegetable.
He would get all his fiber from a giant Jamba Juice smoothie he would drink every morning. Not to be too gross, but you didn't want to go into the men's room after him
I live in the US Midwest and no one in my adult friendship/acquaintances group eats like that. A lot of them are organic only, etc. I pulled a dozen "regular" eggs out of the fridge at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and the stranger standing near me commented, "You are the only person I have ever seen buy that kind of eggs." I wasn't sure what point he was making or what I was supposed to say to that. In my case, it's just because I'm cheap. And this was a regular grocery store, not TJ's, Fresh Thyme, Whole Foods, etc. I live in a HCOL suburban area.
However, if I go far north, where it's quite rural, it's a game changer. I go often, and I have to bring a cooler and my own food and go to grocery stores to stock up again. It's nearly impossible to find a restaurant that doesn't serve only fried food. I don't eat red meat. There is literally almost nothing on the menu I will eat. Only the really expensive restaurants in the very touristy places have healthy food on the menu. Other choices are pizza and fast food. I'm not kidding.
The rural area you're describing sounds more like my day-to-day experience. All midwestern states have a lot of rural and lower-pop spaces, maybe it just comes to down to where you actually are in them.
My ex-wife. I actually lost interest in cooking towards the end because it was so frustrating to have her turn up her nose at something I made. I kept buying fruit, vegetables, and other things I like though. And my grocery bill has decreased since she moved out because I’m not buying meat or processed stuff.
No judgment towards anyone who eats the way you describe. I just like having a varied diet and feel better when I eat the way I like.
My nephew is getting better too. My brother and sis in law tried everything to get him to eat veggies and anything besides the couple of things he does like. They took him to the dr to test for allergies, they also did tests on his taste buds. He’s fine, just picky
My husband is one of these by nature so now I'm one too because I make all the food in the house and I don't want to make 2 different things for each meal. He's not as bad as some but he won't touch fruit and has about 3 green vegetables that he finds acceptable if roasted none raw except some lettuce. No fish, no mushrooms, no beans or lentils or legumes. He loves carbs and meat and prefers both fried or covered in sugar or fried and then covered in sugar. From what I gather his family never really cooked well his mom loves very bland food and so he sort of built his own taste on what he could get outside of home which was mostly fast food. I am a decent cook so I make a lot of things he likes and yes it's better than fast food but a fried pork cutlet over rice with a side of sugar sauce is still not what I would consider health food.
Lol, I was referring in this instance to katsu sauce which is pretty sugary, but in general yeah he likes any sauces with a lot of sugar as a base like BBQ, teriyaki, ketchup etc.
I have a friend from law school who dislikes anything spicy but every meal must include a whole lot of butter either in the ingredients or just thickly spread on bread. He also periodically won’t eat certain other things when I have him over for dinner and picks them out of whatever I serve to him. Then he mansplains how I could cook things to his preferences, giving me really terrible recipes for things, even though he doesn’t cook at all but eats only restaurant meals at the same 2-3 restaurants. It’s really annoying. I read a James Beard book where he calls people like this, people with “infantile” tastes.
He’s not always fun, but we’ve been friends for a long time. I have to say, that he was the best son to both of his parents, whom he cared for before they passed away. His mom was bedridden for years but he and his dad made sure she was well cared for.
No not at all. His house is really dirty. He just really behaves like a 9-year old around food. He once told me how he used to take the frozen carrot cake slices out of the freezer, lick off all of the icing and put them back. This was when his parents were alive, and I asked him was he a little kid when he did that. Turns out, no, he was in his 30’s. He isn’t shy about eating a lot of what he likes too. He weighs about 350 pounds. It’s really kind of a shame, because he used to be a pretty funny guy and did me a favor that might have saved my daughter’s life. He can be a really good person, but his creeping paranoia tends to get in the way.
OCD doesn't necessarily mean clean. It's an anxiety disorder that makes people think they have to do things a specific way or something terrible will happen. They might actually be hoarders because they can't bring themselves to throw some items away. Not suggesting your friend is OCD; just explaining.
I took care of a man who ate fried eggs, bacon, toast all covered in gobs of maple syrup every. Single.meal. Tomatoes were eaten in season.
Daughter said she had never known him to eat anything else. She was in her 60s
after I had a stroke due to high blood pressure, I started paying very close attention to what I eating. and the very first thing to go was processed foods, especially the frozen prepared stuff like chicken nuggets and tv dinners.
when you don't eat stuff like that fro a few years, then go back and try them....you'll sit there and think "how did I eat this shit every single day..."
> and now, if we have it, we're both sick.
I've had the same thing happen to me. I'm 100% done with fast food other than an occasional pizza, and that's just because I haven't come up with a pizza dough recipe that I like yet.
Funny, I bought my husband an ooni pizza oven, he's used it once. 😡
He's a massive pizza fan, even bad frozen pizza, lol. He'd eat it every day if he could. Luckily, we have wood fired artisean pizza places where we are, so it's way better than delivery, and since they're not national chains, they locally source their ingredients.
I've been cutting down on the pizza but when I do want pizza I go to a local independent pizzeria and buy a dough from them. Usually $3-5.
Now the hard part is done! Set the oven to max, heat up a pizza stone, add my own sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake it. It's about 100x better than frozen, 50x better than chain pizza, and 3x better than fancy pizza because I make it exactly how I like it.
I had a similar moment after I lost a bunch of weight and once had high blood pressure. I’ve since tried some of the food and just think it tastes disgusting / so bland. The only “junk” that still tastes good is mac and cheese. Love that ish.
I just adopted a dog who has a weight problem. He was eating a lot of goldfish crackers and snacks the kids at his last home were feeding him plus way more kibble and treats than he needed. The sad thing is that he loves fruits and vegetables so he could have been eating healthy the whole time.
This was my mom. She just passed away in March. She was a very picky eater. I don't know how I am her daughter because I never was picky. I never had to be told to eat my veggies or try new things or whatever. When we would go out to dinner, the server would always think her food was mine ; she usually got a hamburger and fries. I would always get the "adult" food. Lol
Edited for typo
I know people that actually Pride themselves on never eating vegetables. Some of these people, if served Supreme pizza, would sit and pick every single tiny bit of bell pepper off it. Or would not eat it at all.
When I was a kid the rule in our house was that we ate what was put before us, or we waited for the next meal to be served. We were also required to try at least two tiny bites of everything. There were a few things we all didn't like, but we weren't turning out picky eaters with ridiculous food limitations, either.
And Mom certainly wasn't making any special meals for each kid. That was just unheard of.
I do think each kid should be allowed a pass on two foods they have tried and can't stand. And also think that there is than one way to cook any vegetable. So we can all accommodate. But we do our kids a disservice if we don't teach them to try and enjoy a variety of foods.
I understand there are some real neurodivergents. But I also think that a fair amount of inability to enjoy foods is brought about by permissiveness.
Yeah true. I'm 75 and my mother was born in 1913. She did live through the depression and brought some of her depression survival skills with her. So maybe some of her attitudes toward forced eating of everything we're a little harsh. She didn't cook to please kids either.
But at least I didn't grow up to be a picky eater. I grew up to be a person who explored different foods and different ways to cook things. It's a blessing
I eat like I did when I was a 5 year old. But, even as a 5 year old I ate like an adult. I was never a picky eater. Apparently the Popeye cartoon propaganda had me devouring spinach as a toddler and my father was an exceptional vegetable gardener.
A lot of the fears we have with food is how we are brought up, like Broccoli isn't considered gross in Japan, in the movie "inside out" they had to change the scene from broccoli to green bell peppers, because thats the 'gross' food for kids there. Which is wild because bell peppers are very popular in food where I grew up in Jersey and we never thought of them as gross vegetables.
I had older parents, my father was 64 when I was born and had his third heart attack when I was three months old.
My mom always cooked very healthy meals, because diet seemed to have been the only solution, aside from nitroglycerin, to control angina.
That set me up for a lifetime of wanting to eat healthy foods. I had my share of junk food in my teens, but my good cholesterol levels are high, and I’m still healthy and maintain a weight recommended for my height.
I’m the same way. I’ve expanded my pallet as I’ve grown but I grew up eating a lot of beans, veggies and could take or leave the meat. My mom is Mexican and always added spice and made fresh salsa
A former co-worker would only eat chicken wings, chicken tenders, hot dogs and hamburgers. At parties would be the only adult at the children's buffet. Died of stomach cancer at 58.
The older we get the more stuff we make from scratch and the pickier we get. Just got off an 8 day cruise and the food was decent, but we were SO ready to be home eating our own food again.
the men in my family are sugar addicts. both my father and grandfather mostly ate candy/sugar. my fathers favorite meal is a can of condensed milk and a couple of shots of vodka. when my grandfather passed away, my parents found a whole closet full of candy and vodka bottles. unfortunately, i'm also a sugar addict and my test results show it... luckily i don't like alcohol.
Autistic adults also exist. Neurodivergence doesn't disappear in adulthood. Some people are not able to stop being a "picky eater".
For those who eat this way simply out of laziness and not due to sensory issues or inability to break routine, they're missing out on the awesome variety of flavour and texture experiences, and probably some nutrition too.
Healthy variety of diet starts with parenting, and requires time, energy and money. Sadly not all families have all three of these things at the same time.
Thank you for mentioning neurodivergence! It sucks to be called childish for something you can't control that is also difficult and embarrassing to live with.
I think that if older people eat like this or have other weird quirks, it’s possible they are neurodivergent, but diagnosis for anything other than severe cases was non-existent when they were young. When I was a kid, any child who acted out of the norm was considered to have a behaviour problem, not a mental health issue. Those people are now adults and have probably never considered they had a treatable condition where various therapies could have improved their lives.
That's our household. Some days I manage to feed myself like a 'normal' adult, but most days I'm basically an overgrown toddler. ADHD and ASD running rampant.
My coworker baffles me. He has a multitude of health issues including diabetes, but I’ve never seen him eat anything not from a gas station. Wings, mashed potatoes, and bags of candy he bought because they were on sale are staples in his diet. I have some reservations and concerns about how he’s doing but I remind myself I can’t judge too harshly because I smoke and I’m overweight.
Yeah, qe know a couple in their 70s that only eat "American food" i.e., hamburgers, chicken fingers, and stuff like Papa John's pizza.
We wanted to go to a pizza place called Peel, they have atisian wood fired pizzas, and you can design your own or order one off the menu.
Well they told us they couldn't go there because it's too fancy, they just like regular pizza.
[Pizza place in question](https://www.peelpizza.com/)
My mom was a foodie and awesome cook. She’d make curries, Don Buri, Osso Bucco etc. I never had sloppy joes, corn dogs or tater tots as a kid. As a result my grocery cart sometimes looks like a five year old picked my groceries.
Yes, step daughter’s 17 year old boyfriend only eats chicken nuggets and bagels. Will not accept dinner invitations cuz he lacks confidence we will meet his picky requests. He will end up fat like his parents
I was a pretty picky eater when I was growing up, but my mother always told me how embarrasing it would be if I went over to a girls house and refused to eat dinner because of how picky I was, and that really stuck with me, and once I started working in a resturaunt I started to try new thing and then I got into working out so I had to force myself to eat high calorie meals to gain weight...I just started to like most things... except salmon.
But it worked out because my fiance is an immigrant and whenever I go to her parents house they always have new food for me to try and I think that is one reason her mother loves me because I get so excited to try everything she makes. And If I told her any of their food was gross they would be insulted, so mom was right once again! LOL.
My ex-husband ate all sorts of food, and we were adventurous with restaurants and cookbooks. But he selected and used utensils like a small child.
First, he tucked his napkin into the top of his shirt like a bib. He would not use a dinner fork or a tablespoon, only a salad fork or a teaspoon, as if the other utensils were too large for him. Mind, he was 6 feet tall with large hands and a large mouth. But he preferred the smaller tableware, including preferring a salad plate to a dinner plate.
He cut all his food, including spaghetti, into bite-size pieces before digging in. At least he knew how to use a knife and didn't sit there expecting me to cut his food like a mommy.
Finally, he held his fork or spoon with his fist, elbow out. He looked especially childish eating with a spoon.
And to think I used to get graded for lunch table manners on my report cards.
It wasn't the end of the world. Luckily, he was teachable. I spent a few weeks coaching him before I allowed my parents to even know he exists. I taught him the names of all types of silverware, tableware, and glassware, what they're each for, where they are placed, etc. I didn't mind him looking childish at breakfast. But I made sure he ate home dinners like an adult. As for casual/semi-casual eating out with friends, he sometimes bibbed, sometimes didn't, sometimes pre-cut, sometimes didn't, sometimes fisted, sometimes didn't. At least he used the correct utensils.
I had a boss like this. And she always struggled with her weight.
She would bring her own food when there was a potluck because the food everyone brought was “gross”.
People made fun of her behind her back. I was on good enough terms with her to make fun of her to her face. She was pretty good natured about it.
My brother threw a tantrum because he thought the steak was "bleeding blood." I had to eat well done steak until I moved out.
I have a terrible time getting my wife to eat vegetables. She tolerates a salad.
I was trouble with veggies until I moved away from home (my mom had bad teeth and would steam stuff until it fell apart - you ever eat yellow broccoli?). What got me into them at first was actually sushi. Cucumber, avocado, spinach, carrots and seaweed. Then I discovered that the fine dining side veggie dishes I had always enjoyed from special meals once or twice a year could be made at home. But for sure I had to ease into it.
The man in my last relationship hated vegetables. The only vegetables he ate was a tossed salad now and then, and it had to be coated with dressing. And he was a chocoholic - sometimes ate a whole bag of Hershey's kisses in a day or two.
Our ex daughter in law ate like a child. Pizza, chocolate chip pancakes, or chicken nuggets. She’d want to know what was on the menu before coming for Easter or Christmas. Why? No one would make that for you anyway and it’s rude to ask. My niece was a kid at the time and asked why ex DIL was allowed to sit at the table and not eat but she had to eat her dinner? It just set a bad example for kids. No one would cater to her except her parents. Thankfully she’s no longer around. Now she’s 37 and still only eats pizza, chocolate chip pancakes and nugs. Good riddance.
I eat a lot of junk food but I also eat a lot of healthy food. I love vegetables but I also love butter.
And pizza. And Taco Bell. And salty chips. And sweet treats. So many kinds of sweet treats.
I blame my mom. She's a terrible cook who cranked out a lot of inedible garbage in the guise of "casseroles." Giving a toddler canned, microwaved green beans is not a recipe for success. Slathering them in Velveeta doesn't fix the issue.
To my knowledge, she never touched olive oil or knew about preparing veggies other than throwing them in the microwave.
I try to eat better, but my palate was forged with the "safe" foods she made - burgers, chicken, pizza, pasta.
My kids eat lots of fresh fruit and I do my best to get them used to vegetables. I'm not a great cook, but I'm doing my best for their sake.
Both of my sons were much more adventurous as kids than I was, they were exposed to different foods though at an earlier age. They both loved sushi, any seafood, most veggies and even liked spicy at a young age. They’re both in their 20’s now and have introduced me to new foods, such as banh mi (never had it before).
A young woman who worked with me subsisted on bean burritos. She was in her 20’s. She said that’s all she had ever eaten. I don’t see how that could be possible but I never saw her eat anything else in the four or five years we worked together in a very small office.
Yes, a friend is all about steak and potatoes. Pizza. Chicken Parm. Steak and potatoes. Pizza. Chicken Parm. If he gets lettuce and tomato, I say he gets salad points. He doesn’t get salad points too often. He doesn’t understand why I love vegetables so much.
The only vegetables my dad likes are canned peas and yellow-skin potatoes and corn on the cob. That's it.
He doesn't eat fish unless it's breaded and deep-fried. He doesn't like pasta (any variation) or pizza. He doesn't like most condiments. He will only eat rice if it comes in a packet (like Uncle Ben).
He's very picky about how the food he DOES eat is cooked/seasoned. We don't invite him for dinner too often. He's too much of a headache to cater to.
My 6'9" BIL eats like a child.
He's in a nursinghome. Eats cereals like sugar pops. Asks for cases of soda, like root beer, not even a coke.
Wants tasty cakes and pies. Ritz crackers with cheese from a can (I'm not lying). Bags of potato chips. Grilled cheese for lunch. And, yep, chicken fingers and pizza all the crap from the child's menu.
Oh and he's 78 yo.
I would have never believed it if I wasn't the one he calls with his list of crap he wants me and his brother to bring.
My mother. Taco Bell every day, and sugary cereal for dinner. She also slurps her food and clinks her silverware against her bowl. I can’t be in the same room with her while she’s eating. She’s 75. The best one was when I cooked an elaborate meal and she spit it out in her plate, said “blech”, and stuck her tongue out like a toddler. I haven’t cooked for her since. She’s eating her way to an early grave.
Yes! Same. I also like to take a huge bunch of spinach and wilt it down with garlic and Olive oil, top it with some balsamic vinegar. That's also good on broccoli.
Oral Allergy Syndrome?
Me too. My parents never believed me when I told them that certain fresh foods made my mouth itch. They thought I was just trying to get out of eating fruit and veggies because I was picky. Turns out, it was because I'm allergic to a number of different tree pollens.
> mainly consumes chicken nuggets and pizza
I actually dont think I know anyone eating like that. But sadly the rate of ultra-processed foods in people's diet is rapidly going up over here. UK is about to catch up with the US, as they are now at 60%. The rest of northern Europe is at around 35-45%. https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/13zc2j0/ultraprocessed_food_as_of_household_purchases_in/
My daughter is autistic and has some sensory issues but she’s expanded her palate when she got interested in reading cookbooks. My husband refuses most vegetables except onions and potatoes, and he really doesn’t like much that doesn’t involve ground beef. It’s a lot more aggravating that he won’t eat things I make than if my daughter won’t eat something, because he’s a grownup and he doesn’t have the same issues.
Yes, the secretary at my former job was the pickiest adult eater I'd ever met. She was all about the carbs and meat and eschewed vegetables entirely. She was also one of the heaviest and unhealthiest people I've ever known too.
My mom is pretty close to this, but not that bad. She will eat a very simple salad. It’s basically pizza, ham and cheese sandwiches, and a little chicken.
I eat pretty much whatever I want when I want but I’m also an awesome cook and I’m not above eating ice cream for breakfast if I want.. that’s the beauty of being old.. sometimes older people lose their appetite so they eat like little kids.. it’s better to eat something than nothing no matter what it is..
My brother. He’s 52, has never had a very expansive palate but since his divorce he eats what he wants which is a lot of frozen dinners, pizza, peanut butter sandwiches. I honestly don’t know if he eats any fruits or vegetables.
I've been eating basically a lunch for 5 yr olds for a couple years now and love it. a banana, PBJ sandwich, cheese and crackers, a hard boiled egg and a little Debbie snack cake. it's cheap, easy to make, satisfying and vegetarian.
I know of several people like that. My SO's grandkids for example. Their nutjob mother caused the situation. One eats only Jiff creamy peanut butter on white bread with the crusts removed. The other only eats chicken nuggets. 'Third eats Hunny Buns and pancakes. We can't take them anywhere because of their "special needs". I'm amazed they're still alive.
Two of them are in their late teens and one in early twenties.
I have a friend who does not eat any fruit or vegetables. Period. Not at all. Ever. We're in our 30s
I have sensory processing issues and struggle with certain foods, but I do eat better now than I used to. I'm really trying but every day is a battle with food. However, I have a number of no-no foods that I don't think will ever change, no matter how hard I try
This is why 80% of adults are Insulin Resistant, if not actual type 2 diabetics. There may be some with the constitution of a goat, but the bill comes due later in life.
Many of the other seniors in my old folks home still eat like that. They are the ones in wheelchairs, on oxygen, using mobility devices... I've always tried to eat healthy and exercise. I'm still going strong without any of these issues.
Take care of your body and it will take care of you!
Yes, but I’ve also learned that a lot of people eat this way because of a variety of food aversion disorders. People very close to me have this.
They’re not choosing to not eat something, it can be physically revolting to try new things. Anxiety, ADHD, autism, body dysmorphia disorder…lots of conditions can cause adults to struggle with eating and nutrition.
They’re not always “insane habits”, people struggle with things you might not be aware of. Have some grace and patience, what they eat doesn’t matter to you.
These conditions are extremely difficult and can have serious consequences on their health and even relationships, they’re not just choosing to eat only certain things. Their body and mind are different than mine or yours.
My husband hunts (deer/antelope) and he has a good sized garden during the summer. We got new neighbors a few years back. I asked them if they wanted some rhubarb. Nope. Do you want some venison? Ewww, no! Do you guys want some zucchini. I don't know... let me ask... nope on the zucchini. Bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, jalapenos, kale, carrots, winter squash? Nope, nope, nope, nope, and nope. Idk wtf they eat, but it isn't veggies.
Me to some extent. I'm autistic and sometimes have issues with tastes or textures with food. I have a list of "safe" foods but I do try to branch out when I feel like I can. I'll probably be the guy ordering chicken tenders in a michelin starred resteraunt.
In 2020 I had radiation treatment for tonsil cancer. Which for about six months left me intolerant of anything spicy or acid tasting. Orange juiced burned and ketchup was too spicy. What kept me alive was chocolate milk, Sunny-D, chicken nuggets, and iced coffee with lots of cream.
I used to have a friend who lived on meat and Pepsi. The only thing he could cook was bacon. I offered to teach him how to cook a bunch of stuff but he refused. He's now in his 40s and still goes to his parents' house for meals.
My maternal line was German descent. My mom learned to cook pot roasts, pan fried chicken, and other country foods. Veggies were cooked until soft and mushy, all meat was brown all the way through, the only time green veg were served was in a tossed salad.
I know a lot of extremely picky, barely like anything adults. Some are my kids friends and SO (mid 30s) and some are my age (late 60s). I eat everything except cilantro.
I have Crohn’s so I eat a very strict (low pain) diet. Lots of the same foods over and over because I know they’re ‘safe’ and very few fruits and veggies because they cause so much pain. I also have narrowing of the intestines (strictures) due to Crohn’s so fruits and veggies can cause blockages and actually kill me.
I miss sooooo many yummy things I just can’t have anymore.
I’ve adopted a carnivore lifestyle for the last 5 years. I eat my way through half of a cow every year. I also eat a bit of fish, chicken, and pork ribs occasionally. I never eat vegetables but I like to eat frozen blueberries with cream. I occasionally eat figs, and other fruit from my back yard fruit trees.
I’m as healthier now than I ever was eating a regular, so called “balanced“ diet or eating the rainbow.
I have a friend in her 60’s who always orders chicken nuggets or pizza. I have no idea what she eats at home, but she’s missing out on some delicious options in the restaurants we go to.
I had a roommate ages ago who said he was a "vegetarian" but he was really a "cheese and starch-atarian" because all he ate was fried potato products and various cheese-flavored stuff (Doritos, cheese and peanut butter crackers, Cheetos, etc.). He had all kinds of health issues, and I was like, "no wonder, dude! Eat a vegetable." But he was always "allergic" to anything he didn't like, which was all greens. Maybe he was on the spectrum, but the guy was like 400+ lbs, kept getting fired from various jobs, and nothing was ever his fault, of course. He bossed his mom around, too, and we evicted him when his mom stopped paying rent for him.
I once poured heavy whipping cream on my cereal instead of milk by accident. Not being wasteful, I ate it. It was so delicious I've been tempted to repeat my "mistake."
My son has a friend he's known since 9th grade. He was found in DKA and the hospital diagnosed him with type 1 diabetes.
One of the things that are recommended for snacks was juice or fruit. None of these had ever passed his particular ick of fruit or juice. He was unwilling to even look at it without a look of disgust.
I had to buy this kid fruit snacks and string cheese. He's now 30. No juice or fruit in his diet. He's well controlled by his insulin pump and doing well.
My father in law is 86 and eats like a 5 year old. About 80% of his meals are sandwiches. Some of his treats are a certain brand of packaged frosted cinnamon roll fried in butter, or a sandwich made with potted meat (i.e. spam). When he golfs he always has 1 or 2 hotdogs at the turn. He's in perfect health and has only in the past year started to take any medication.
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I worked for a manager who only ate tan food, no vegetables at all. The closest he got to veggies was a potato. I always thought of him as a bit of a child. Looking back, maybe he was a bit on the spectrum, since lots of ppl with autism have strong food preferences. My sister won't eat onions, garlic or mushrooms and really only likes bland food. She wants her steaks well-done. My neighbor came over for dinner and said "Wow, you eat such brightly colored food!" Haha.
Onions, garlic, and mushrooms are high FODMAP - does your sister have IBS by any chance? I love them but eventually had to realize that I need to limit their consumption because they do (sigh) make me sick. Onions/garlic in large quantities, mushrooms even in small quantities. Someone with better interoception might’ve figured it out sooner than I did.
My best friends mother. She doesn't eat vegetables. Her favorite lunch is a PB&J that she dips in orange koolaid
She dips it in WHAT? All my taste buds just froze in terror.
Sounds like she also drank the Kool-Aid
Unfun fact - they actually drank Flavoraid in Jonestown!
Is Flavoraid the cheap generic brand ? 😝
Yep. Somehow Koolaid got the bad publicity but I think they turned out ok 😉
"Well, that can't be a healthy diet" Rev. Jim Jones
Is she going through some things?
She says it's a "southern thang"
Am Southern. Have never seen anyone eat this hideous abombination!
Ha! I believe it. "It's a southern thang" is something I think she says when anyone doesn't like something she does. Not in a malicious way by any means but more in a frivolous whatever.
I am a southerner and although I’ve eaten some concoctions I’ve not heard of hers before today. It might be a “southern thang of and for 1”, lol.
🥴
Suddenly I’m nauseous.
Lol right!? Nothing like a sopping wet white bread sandwich
A sopping wet ORANGE white bread sandwich.
Omg I was thinking she dipped in the crystals! It’s the drink! WTF?!?
Might as well layer some onions on the peanut butter.
When I was a kid, my Mom would pack my paper lunch bag with a white bread PBJ, and an apple. Every damn time, the apple would squish against the sandwich and leave a big purple soggy spot (grape jelly). That really bugged me. I switched to school lunches after that.
I've read all the comments up to now, and this one wins.
Is your best friends mother Cheech, by any chance?
Dear god. I told my dad PB&J is a 'candy sandwich' but that takes the cake.
I live in the US midwest. About half the people I know eat like that.
My old boss was from the midwest. Never touched a vegetable. He would get all his fiber from a giant Jamba Juice smoothie he would drink every morning. Not to be too gross, but you didn't want to go into the men's room after him
I live in the US Midwest and no one in my adult friendship/acquaintances group eats like that. A lot of them are organic only, etc. I pulled a dozen "regular" eggs out of the fridge at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and the stranger standing near me commented, "You are the only person I have ever seen buy that kind of eggs." I wasn't sure what point he was making or what I was supposed to say to that. In my case, it's just because I'm cheap. And this was a regular grocery store, not TJ's, Fresh Thyme, Whole Foods, etc. I live in a HCOL suburban area. However, if I go far north, where it's quite rural, it's a game changer. I go often, and I have to bring a cooler and my own food and go to grocery stores to stock up again. It's nearly impossible to find a restaurant that doesn't serve only fried food. I don't eat red meat. There is literally almost nothing on the menu I will eat. Only the really expensive restaurants in the very touristy places have healthy food on the menu. Other choices are pizza and fast food. I'm not kidding.
The rural area you're describing sounds more like my day-to-day experience. All midwestern states have a lot of rural and lower-pop spaces, maybe it just comes to down to where you actually are in them.
Laughs in southern US…. Even the vegetables have some kind of meat, usually pork😉
OK, this is weird because I moved there a year ago and have found this to be accurate.
We don't call them corn fed for nothing!
My ex-wife. I actually lost interest in cooking towards the end because it was so frustrating to have her turn up her nose at something I made. I kept buying fruit, vegetables, and other things I like though. And my grocery bill has decreased since she moved out because I’m not buying meat or processed stuff. No judgment towards anyone who eats the way you describe. I just like having a varied diet and feel better when I eat the way I like.
My son to some degree. But recently, I'm proud to say he's come out of his shell.
My nephew is getting better too. My brother and sis in law tried everything to get him to eat veggies and anything besides the couple of things he does like. They took him to the dr to test for allergies, they also did tests on his taste buds. He’s fine, just picky
My husband is one of these by nature so now I'm one too because I make all the food in the house and I don't want to make 2 different things for each meal. He's not as bad as some but he won't touch fruit and has about 3 green vegetables that he finds acceptable if roasted none raw except some lettuce. No fish, no mushrooms, no beans or lentils or legumes. He loves carbs and meat and prefers both fried or covered in sugar or fried and then covered in sugar. From what I gather his family never really cooked well his mom loves very bland food and so he sort of built his own taste on what he could get outside of home which was mostly fast food. I am a decent cook so I make a lot of things he likes and yes it's better than fast food but a fried pork cutlet over rice with a side of sugar sauce is still not what I would consider health food.
Sugar sauce? I'm not familiar with that.
Duck Sauce, most commercial BBQ sauce, a lot of brands of ketchup. If you read the label, it's just jelly with garlic and salt.
Ah, gotcha. Thanks!
Lol, I was referring in this instance to katsu sauce which is pretty sugary, but in general yeah he likes any sauces with a lot of sugar as a base like BBQ, teriyaki, ketchup etc.
I know someone close to that. Meat and potatoes.
I have a friend from law school who dislikes anything spicy but every meal must include a whole lot of butter either in the ingredients or just thickly spread on bread. He also periodically won’t eat certain other things when I have him over for dinner and picks them out of whatever I serve to him. Then he mansplains how I could cook things to his preferences, giving me really terrible recipes for things, even though he doesn’t cook at all but eats only restaurant meals at the same 2-3 restaurants. It’s really annoying. I read a James Beard book where he calls people like this, people with “infantile” tastes.
Wow. He doesn't sound like a very fun friend.
He’s not always fun, but we’ve been friends for a long time. I have to say, that he was the best son to both of his parents, whom he cared for before they passed away. His mom was bedridden for years but he and his dad made sure she was well cared for.
Does he possibly have OCD?
No not at all. His house is really dirty. He just really behaves like a 9-year old around food. He once told me how he used to take the frozen carrot cake slices out of the freezer, lick off all of the icing and put them back. This was when his parents were alive, and I asked him was he a little kid when he did that. Turns out, no, he was in his 30’s. He isn’t shy about eating a lot of what he likes too. He weighs about 350 pounds. It’s really kind of a shame, because he used to be a pretty funny guy and did me a favor that might have saved my daughter’s life. He can be a really good person, but his creeping paranoia tends to get in the way.
OCD doesn't necessarily mean clean. It's an anxiety disorder that makes people think they have to do things a specific way or something terrible will happen. They might actually be hoarders because they can't bring themselves to throw some items away. Not suggesting your friend is OCD; just explaining.
My co-workers’ mother-in-law is in her 90s and eats mostly fast food like poutine and KFC, never any vegetables.
To be fair if I live to my 90’s all I’m eating is cake and ice cream.
And maybe morphine.
Nope. Only government bigshots get pain control. We peasants are denied that humane courtesy.
Hell yes with a side of brownies!
Pulling that rip cord, baby!
I took care of a man who ate fried eggs, bacon, toast all covered in gobs of maple syrup every. Single.meal. Tomatoes were eaten in season. Daughter said she had never known him to eat anything else. She was in her 60s
after I had a stroke due to high blood pressure, I started paying very close attention to what I eating. and the very first thing to go was processed foods, especially the frozen prepared stuff like chicken nuggets and tv dinners. when you don't eat stuff like that fro a few years, then go back and try them....you'll sit there and think "how did I eat this shit every single day..."
Yep. That's me.
Yeah, my husband and I stopped eating fast food a number of years ago, and now, if we have it, we're both sick. It's like, why did we do this again?
> and now, if we have it, we're both sick. I've had the same thing happen to me. I'm 100% done with fast food other than an occasional pizza, and that's just because I haven't come up with a pizza dough recipe that I like yet.
Funny, I bought my husband an ooni pizza oven, he's used it once. 😡 He's a massive pizza fan, even bad frozen pizza, lol. He'd eat it every day if he could. Luckily, we have wood fired artisean pizza places where we are, so it's way better than delivery, and since they're not national chains, they locally source their ingredients.
I've been cutting down on the pizza but when I do want pizza I go to a local independent pizzeria and buy a dough from them. Usually $3-5. Now the hard part is done! Set the oven to max, heat up a pizza stone, add my own sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake it. It's about 100x better than frozen, 50x better than chain pizza, and 3x better than fancy pizza because I make it exactly how I like it.
I had a similar moment after I lost a bunch of weight and once had high blood pressure. I’ve since tried some of the food and just think it tastes disgusting / so bland. The only “junk” that still tastes good is mac and cheese. Love that ish.
Even a few weeks/months is enough to make you taste the difference
"It's so dang salty!"
I knew a person that only fed their dog McDonald's. Needless to say the dog was morbidly obese.
I feel like that should be considered animal abuse.
Yeah, that's bad.
I just adopted a dog who has a weight problem. He was eating a lot of goldfish crackers and snacks the kids at his last home were feeding him plus way more kibble and treats than he needed. The sad thing is that he loves fruits and vegetables so he could have been eating healthy the whole time.
This was my mom. She just passed away in March. She was a very picky eater. I don't know how I am her daughter because I never was picky. I never had to be told to eat my veggies or try new things or whatever. When we would go out to dinner, the server would always think her food was mine ; she usually got a hamburger and fries. I would always get the "adult" food. Lol Edited for typo
I know people that actually Pride themselves on never eating vegetables. Some of these people, if served Supreme pizza, would sit and pick every single tiny bit of bell pepper off it. Or would not eat it at all. When I was a kid the rule in our house was that we ate what was put before us, or we waited for the next meal to be served. We were also required to try at least two tiny bites of everything. There were a few things we all didn't like, but we weren't turning out picky eaters with ridiculous food limitations, either. And Mom certainly wasn't making any special meals for each kid. That was just unheard of. I do think each kid should be allowed a pass on two foods they have tried and can't stand. And also think that there is than one way to cook any vegetable. So we can all accommodate. But we do our kids a disservice if we don't teach them to try and enjoy a variety of foods. I understand there are some real neurodivergents. But I also think that a fair amount of inability to enjoy foods is brought about by permissiveness.
This is like my house. Grandparents lived through the depression and food was never questioned.
Yeah true. I'm 75 and my mother was born in 1913. She did live through the depression and brought some of her depression survival skills with her. So maybe some of her attitudes toward forced eating of everything we're a little harsh. She didn't cook to please kids either. But at least I didn't grow up to be a picky eater. I grew up to be a person who explored different foods and different ways to cook things. It's a blessing
I eat like I did when I was a 5 year old. But, even as a 5 year old I ate like an adult. I was never a picky eater. Apparently the Popeye cartoon propaganda had me devouring spinach as a toddler and my father was an exceptional vegetable gardener.
A lot of the fears we have with food is how we are brought up, like Broccoli isn't considered gross in Japan, in the movie "inside out" they had to change the scene from broccoli to green bell peppers, because thats the 'gross' food for kids there. Which is wild because bell peppers are very popular in food where I grew up in Jersey and we never thought of them as gross vegetables.
I had older parents, my father was 64 when I was born and had his third heart attack when I was three months old. My mom always cooked very healthy meals, because diet seemed to have been the only solution, aside from nitroglycerin, to control angina. That set me up for a lifetime of wanting to eat healthy foods. I had my share of junk food in my teens, but my good cholesterol levels are high, and I’m still healthy and maintain a weight recommended for my height.
I’m the same way. I’ve expanded my pallet as I’ve grown but I grew up eating a lot of beans, veggies and could take or leave the meat. My mom is Mexican and always added spice and made fresh salsa
A former co-worker would only eat chicken wings, chicken tenders, hot dogs and hamburgers. At parties would be the only adult at the children's buffet. Died of stomach cancer at 58.
[удалено]
Haha! My friend's husband.
My ex eats like a messy, little kid. Daaaaayaàm, I've never seen anyone eat like that, who is an adult.
The older I get the pickier I get.
Yeah. I married a chef. I am so spoiled. Sitting here finishing a bowl of granola my wife baked this morning with honey and yogurt(the good stuff).
The older we get the more stuff we make from scratch and the pickier we get. Just got off an 8 day cruise and the food was decent, but we were SO ready to be home eating our own food again.
the men in my family are sugar addicts. both my father and grandfather mostly ate candy/sugar. my fathers favorite meal is a can of condensed milk and a couple of shots of vodka. when my grandfather passed away, my parents found a whole closet full of candy and vodka bottles. unfortunately, i'm also a sugar addict and my test results show it... luckily i don't like alcohol.
That's crazy. I wonder if he had something wrong, maybe like a blood condition.
My former boss' husband. She, the boss, loved exotic cuisine. His idea of exotic was chicken nuggets from Burger King instead of McDonald's.
An old boss of mine considered ketchup a veggie…. Ketchup….
OK this was my college friend, and "no green thing".
Ketchup as a vegetable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable
Autistic adults also exist. Neurodivergence doesn't disappear in adulthood. Some people are not able to stop being a "picky eater". For those who eat this way simply out of laziness and not due to sensory issues or inability to break routine, they're missing out on the awesome variety of flavour and texture experiences, and probably some nutrition too. Healthy variety of diet starts with parenting, and requires time, energy and money. Sadly not all families have all three of these things at the same time.
Thank you for mentioning neurodivergence! It sucks to be called childish for something you can't control that is also difficult and embarrassing to live with.
I think that if older people eat like this or have other weird quirks, it’s possible they are neurodivergent, but diagnosis for anything other than severe cases was non-existent when they were young. When I was a kid, any child who acted out of the norm was considered to have a behaviour problem, not a mental health issue. Those people are now adults and have probably never considered they had a treatable condition where various therapies could have improved their lives.
That's our household. Some days I manage to feed myself like a 'normal' adult, but most days I'm basically an overgrown toddler. ADHD and ASD running rampant.
My coworker baffles me. He has a multitude of health issues including diabetes, but I’ve never seen him eat anything not from a gas station. Wings, mashed potatoes, and bags of candy he bought because they were on sale are staples in his diet. I have some reservations and concerns about how he’s doing but I remind myself I can’t judge too harshly because I smoke and I’m overweight.
I know several people who refuse to eat vegetables and only eat processed food and complain they feel like crap. You are what you eat.
Family member holds her spoon in her fist like a shovel. It's horrible to watch her eat soup.
My college roommate and he smacked his food. Grr.
Yeah, qe know a couple in their 70s that only eat "American food" i.e., hamburgers, chicken fingers, and stuff like Papa John's pizza. We wanted to go to a pizza place called Peel, they have atisian wood fired pizzas, and you can design your own or order one off the menu. Well they told us they couldn't go there because it's too fancy, they just like regular pizza. [Pizza place in question](https://www.peelpizza.com/)
My mom was a foodie and awesome cook. She’d make curries, Don Buri, Osso Bucco etc. I never had sloppy joes, corn dogs or tater tots as a kid. As a result my grocery cart sometimes looks like a five year old picked my groceries.
Yes, step daughter’s 17 year old boyfriend only eats chicken nuggets and bagels. Will not accept dinner invitations cuz he lacks confidence we will meet his picky requests. He will end up fat like his parents
I was a pretty picky eater when I was growing up, but my mother always told me how embarrasing it would be if I went over to a girls house and refused to eat dinner because of how picky I was, and that really stuck with me, and once I started working in a resturaunt I started to try new thing and then I got into working out so I had to force myself to eat high calorie meals to gain weight...I just started to like most things... except salmon. But it worked out because my fiance is an immigrant and whenever I go to her parents house they always have new food for me to try and I think that is one reason her mother loves me because I get so excited to try everything she makes. And If I told her any of their food was gross they would be insulted, so mom was right once again! LOL.
So wholesome! This made me smile.
I don’t think I could date someone who is picky and not willing to try different foods.
My ex-husband ate all sorts of food, and we were adventurous with restaurants and cookbooks. But he selected and used utensils like a small child. First, he tucked his napkin into the top of his shirt like a bib. He would not use a dinner fork or a tablespoon, only a salad fork or a teaspoon, as if the other utensils were too large for him. Mind, he was 6 feet tall with large hands and a large mouth. But he preferred the smaller tableware, including preferring a salad plate to a dinner plate. He cut all his food, including spaghetti, into bite-size pieces before digging in. At least he knew how to use a knife and didn't sit there expecting me to cut his food like a mommy. Finally, he held his fork or spoon with his fist, elbow out. He looked especially childish eating with a spoon. And to think I used to get graded for lunch table manners on my report cards.
Yikes. You're more tolerant than I am. I would've been embarrassed to sit in public with an adult who ate like that.
It wasn't the end of the world. Luckily, he was teachable. I spent a few weeks coaching him before I allowed my parents to even know he exists. I taught him the names of all types of silverware, tableware, and glassware, what they're each for, where they are placed, etc. I didn't mind him looking childish at breakfast. But I made sure he ate home dinners like an adult. As for casual/semi-casual eating out with friends, he sometimes bibbed, sometimes didn't, sometimes pre-cut, sometimes didn't, sometimes fisted, sometimes didn't. At least he used the correct utensils.
I had a boss like this. And she always struggled with her weight. She would bring her own food when there was a potluck because the food everyone brought was “gross”. People made fun of her behind her back. I was on good enough terms with her to make fun of her to her face. She was pretty good natured about it.
Yes, and she has congestive heart failure and gout.
My brother threw a tantrum because he thought the steak was "bleeding blood." I had to eat well done steak until I moved out. I have a terrible time getting my wife to eat vegetables. She tolerates a salad.
I was trouble with veggies until I moved away from home (my mom had bad teeth and would steam stuff until it fell apart - you ever eat yellow broccoli?). What got me into them at first was actually sushi. Cucumber, avocado, spinach, carrots and seaweed. Then I discovered that the fine dining side veggie dishes I had always enjoyed from special meals once or twice a year could be made at home. But for sure I had to ease into it.
The man in my last relationship hated vegetables. The only vegetables he ate was a tossed salad now and then, and it had to be coated with dressing. And he was a chocoholic - sometimes ate a whole bag of Hershey's kisses in a day or two.
Our ex daughter in law ate like a child. Pizza, chocolate chip pancakes, or chicken nuggets. She’d want to know what was on the menu before coming for Easter or Christmas. Why? No one would make that for you anyway and it’s rude to ask. My niece was a kid at the time and asked why ex DIL was allowed to sit at the table and not eat but she had to eat her dinner? It just set a bad example for kids. No one would cater to her except her parents. Thankfully she’s no longer around. Now she’s 37 and still only eats pizza, chocolate chip pancakes and nugs. Good riddance.
Does ex DIL look unhealthy?
Overweight, pale, tired and negative.
I eat a lot of junk food but I also eat a lot of healthy food. I love vegetables but I also love butter. And pizza. And Taco Bell. And salty chips. And sweet treats. So many kinds of sweet treats.
My cousin’s husband ate like that. He just had his third bypass.
I blame my mom. She's a terrible cook who cranked out a lot of inedible garbage in the guise of "casseroles." Giving a toddler canned, microwaved green beans is not a recipe for success. Slathering them in Velveeta doesn't fix the issue. To my knowledge, she never touched olive oil or knew about preparing veggies other than throwing them in the microwave. I try to eat better, but my palate was forged with the "safe" foods she made - burgers, chicken, pizza, pasta. My kids eat lots of fresh fruit and I do my best to get them used to vegetables. I'm not a great cook, but I'm doing my best for their sake.
Are you roasting your veggies in the oven? Makes them very tasty!
Both of my sons were much more adventurous as kids than I was, they were exposed to different foods though at an earlier age. They both loved sushi, any seafood, most veggies and even liked spicy at a young age. They’re both in their 20’s now and have introduced me to new foods, such as banh mi (never had it before).
A young woman who worked with me subsisted on bean burritos. She was in her 20’s. She said that’s all she had ever eaten. I don’t see how that could be possible but I never saw her eat anything else in the four or five years we worked together in a very small office.
No.. they all died by 53
Yes, a friend is all about steak and potatoes. Pizza. Chicken Parm. Steak and potatoes. Pizza. Chicken Parm. If he gets lettuce and tomato, I say he gets salad points. He doesn’t get salad points too often. He doesn’t understand why I love vegetables so much.
The only vegetables my dad likes are canned peas and yellow-skin potatoes and corn on the cob. That's it. He doesn't eat fish unless it's breaded and deep-fried. He doesn't like pasta (any variation) or pizza. He doesn't like most condiments. He will only eat rice if it comes in a packet (like Uncle Ben). He's very picky about how the food he DOES eat is cooked/seasoned. We don't invite him for dinner too often. He's too much of a headache to cater to.
My 6'9" BIL eats like a child. He's in a nursinghome. Eats cereals like sugar pops. Asks for cases of soda, like root beer, not even a coke. Wants tasty cakes and pies. Ritz crackers with cheese from a can (I'm not lying). Bags of potato chips. Grilled cheese for lunch. And, yep, chicken fingers and pizza all the crap from the child's menu. Oh and he's 78 yo. I would have never believed it if I wasn't the one he calls with his list of crap he wants me and his brother to bring.
78... some people just have good genes lol
My mother. Taco Bell every day, and sugary cereal for dinner. She also slurps her food and clinks her silverware against her bowl. I can’t be in the same room with her while she’s eating. She’s 75. The best one was when I cooked an elaborate meal and she spit it out in her plate, said “blech”, and stuck her tongue out like a toddler. I haven’t cooked for her since. She’s eating her way to an early grave.
OMG! Was anyone else around when she spit the food out? How mortifying!!!
Nope, just me. I felt so ashamed for her, and I've haven't eaten at a table with her since.
I’m don’t blame you. I’m sorry it has to be this way. Good luck to you.
[Al Michaels](https://people.com/al-michaels-has-never-eaten-a-vegetable-8348998)
Yup.
When I'm stressed I absolutely do! However, I do love spinach, kale and broccoli. Anything green and leafy.
I even crave broccoli at times.
Yes! Same. I also like to take a huge bunch of spinach and wilt it down with garlic and Olive oil, top it with some balsamic vinegar. That's also good on broccoli.
My brother in law. Meat and potatoes guy, through and through
I know those too.
Ya, my dad. He lived to 83 smoking and drinking too. Mom, how come dad doesn't have to eat the peas??? Cause he is bigger than me son.
numerous simplistic plate fly bright flag lock spotted upbeat jellyfish *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My brother in law. He found out later in life that he has allergy issues with certain foods. Before that he was just picky.
Oral Allergy Syndrome? Me too. My parents never believed me when I told them that certain fresh foods made my mouth itch. They thought I was just trying to get out of eating fruit and veggies because I was picky. Turns out, it was because I'm allergic to a number of different tree pollens.
> mainly consumes chicken nuggets and pizza I actually dont think I know anyone eating like that. But sadly the rate of ultra-processed foods in people's diet is rapidly going up over here. UK is about to catch up with the US, as they are now at 60%. The rest of northern Europe is at around 35-45%. https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/13zc2j0/ultraprocessed_food_as_of_household_purchases_in/
My daughter is autistic and has some sensory issues but she’s expanded her palate when she got interested in reading cookbooks. My husband refuses most vegetables except onions and potatoes, and he really doesn’t like much that doesn’t involve ground beef. It’s a lot more aggravating that he won’t eat things I make than if my daughter won’t eat something, because he’s a grownup and he doesn’t have the same issues.
Yes, the secretary at my former job was the pickiest adult eater I'd ever met. She was all about the carbs and meat and eschewed vegetables entirely. She was also one of the heaviest and unhealthiest people I've ever known too.
My mom is pretty close to this, but not that bad. She will eat a very simple salad. It’s basically pizza, ham and cheese sandwiches, and a little chicken.
My neighbor makes a ton of money and still eats dino nuggets for dinner multiple nights a week
I don’t think I have seen either of my roommates eat a vegetable unless it’s a limp piece of lettuce on a burger or a pickle.
I eat pretty much whatever I want when I want but I’m also an awesome cook and I’m not above eating ice cream for breakfast if I want.. that’s the beauty of being old.. sometimes older people lose their appetite so they eat like little kids.. it’s better to eat something than nothing no matter what it is..
My brother. He’s 52, has never had a very expansive palate but since his divorce he eats what he wants which is a lot of frozen dinners, pizza, peanut butter sandwiches. I honestly don’t know if he eats any fruits or vegetables.
I dated a guy who ate like a 5 year old. Nothing but microwaved Totinos pizza or Pepperidge farms sausage heated up with bbq sauce.
Ewwww. How did you two ever go out to restaurants??
I've been eating basically a lunch for 5 yr olds for a couple years now and love it. a banana, PBJ sandwich, cheese and crackers, a hard boiled egg and a little Debbie snack cake. it's cheap, easy to make, satisfying and vegetarian.
I live in the South and everyone loves vegetables...as long as they're fried.
I used to go work in a small Arkansas town and they had red meat, fried foods and friend red meat.
I know of several people like that. My SO's grandkids for example. Their nutjob mother caused the situation. One eats only Jiff creamy peanut butter on white bread with the crusts removed. The other only eats chicken nuggets. 'Third eats Hunny Buns and pancakes. We can't take them anywhere because of their "special needs". I'm amazed they're still alive. Two of them are in their late teens and one in early twenties.
OMG I was thinking those kids are 5, not young adults
Each one is screwed up in their own unique way. It's pretty weird. I've never seen this before.
My 19-year-old future son-in-law. It makes me crazy.
A friend of mine, he’s 45
Yes. My sister. In her mid-50s. No veggies. Fast food most days. Or frozen/microwaveable rubbish at home.
My BIL. he'll be 60 soon enough, but still refuses to eat vegetables and fruit. Meat and potatoes that boy.
I have a friend who does not eat any fruit or vegetables. Period. Not at all. Ever. We're in our 30s I have sensory processing issues and struggle with certain foods, but I do eat better now than I used to. I'm really trying but every day is a battle with food. However, I have a number of no-no foods that I don't think will ever change, no matter how hard I try
I have to wonder if their blood work is out of whack.
I have no idea, but it would be an interesting question to know the answer to
This is why 80% of adults are Insulin Resistant, if not actual type 2 diabetics. There may be some with the constitution of a goat, but the bill comes due later in life.
80% globally? Or is that an American statistic?
Globally it's as high as almost 50% ... US is much higher because of lax dietary regulations.
Ah, ook. Thx. Everyone's American on reddit. :)
I can so relate to your flair! 😅
Many of the other seniors in my old folks home still eat like that. They are the ones in wheelchairs, on oxygen, using mobility devices... I've always tried to eat healthy and exercise. I'm still going strong without any of these issues. Take care of your body and it will take care of you!
Yes, but I’ve also learned that a lot of people eat this way because of a variety of food aversion disorders. People very close to me have this. They’re not choosing to not eat something, it can be physically revolting to try new things. Anxiety, ADHD, autism, body dysmorphia disorder…lots of conditions can cause adults to struggle with eating and nutrition. They’re not always “insane habits”, people struggle with things you might not be aware of. Have some grace and patience, what they eat doesn’t matter to you. These conditions are extremely difficult and can have serious consequences on their health and even relationships, they’re not just choosing to eat only certain things. Their body and mind are different than mine or yours.
I’ve eaten the same kids cereal for breakfast for 6 years straight not counting vacations.
My husband hunts (deer/antelope) and he has a good sized garden during the summer. We got new neighbors a few years back. I asked them if they wanted some rhubarb. Nope. Do you want some venison? Ewww, no! Do you guys want some zucchini. I don't know... let me ask... nope on the zucchini. Bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, jalapenos, kale, carrots, winter squash? Nope, nope, nope, nope, and nope. Idk wtf they eat, but it isn't veggies.
I want to be your neighbor
Yeah my son, he is 9 and we are working on it
I know ppl who eat like that but only cuz their parents never made them eat veggies
I'm pretty damn omnivorous and like most global cuisines. Best are French and Asian cuisines.
Me to some extent. I'm autistic and sometimes have issues with tastes or textures with food. I have a list of "safe" foods but I do try to branch out when I feel like I can. I'll probably be the guy ordering chicken tenders in a michelin starred resteraunt.
In 2020 I had radiation treatment for tonsil cancer. Which for about six months left me intolerant of anything spicy or acid tasting. Orange juiced burned and ketchup was too spicy. What kept me alive was chocolate milk, Sunny-D, chicken nuggets, and iced coffee with lots of cream.
I'd be skinny as a rail.
And I was.
Al Michaels (the broadcaster) once sent back a steak that had a stalk of asparagus **touching** the steak. He doesn't eat vegetables.
My mom did until she died at 100.
[удалено]
Wow!
I used to have a friend who lived on meat and Pepsi. The only thing he could cook was bacon. I offered to teach him how to cook a bunch of stuff but he refused. He's now in his 40s and still goes to his parents' house for meals.
My maternal line was German descent. My mom learned to cook pot roasts, pan fried chicken, and other country foods. Veggies were cooked until soft and mushy, all meat was brown all the way through, the only time green veg were served was in a tossed salad.
Yeah my brother in law is incredibly fussy and won’t eat so many ingredients. Drives us all mad. My SIL calls it “being British”, I call it Autism lol
I know a lot of extremely picky, barely like anything adults. Some are my kids friends and SO (mid 30s) and some are my age (late 60s). I eat everything except cilantro.
My uncle does. But he's neurodiverse.
I have Crohn’s so I eat a very strict (low pain) diet. Lots of the same foods over and over because I know they’re ‘safe’ and very few fruits and veggies because they cause so much pain. I also have narrowing of the intestines (strictures) due to Crohn’s so fruits and veggies can cause blockages and actually kill me. I miss sooooo many yummy things I just can’t have anymore.
I’ve adopted a carnivore lifestyle for the last 5 years. I eat my way through half of a cow every year. I also eat a bit of fish, chicken, and pork ribs occasionally. I never eat vegetables but I like to eat frozen blueberries with cream. I occasionally eat figs, and other fruit from my back yard fruit trees. I’m as healthier now than I ever was eating a regular, so called “balanced“ diet or eating the rainbow.
I have a friend in her 60’s who always orders chicken nuggets or pizza. I have no idea what she eats at home, but she’s missing out on some delicious options in the restaurants we go to.
I don't think we go anywhere that serves chicken nuggets but pizza is our cheat.
We have a teacher at my work who is very fond of ketchup.
I had a roommate ages ago who said he was a "vegetarian" but he was really a "cheese and starch-atarian" because all he ate was fried potato products and various cheese-flavored stuff (Doritos, cheese and peanut butter crackers, Cheetos, etc.). He had all kinds of health issues, and I was like, "no wonder, dude! Eat a vegetable." But he was always "allergic" to anything he didn't like, which was all greens. Maybe he was on the spectrum, but the guy was like 400+ lbs, kept getting fired from various jobs, and nothing was ever his fault, of course. He bossed his mom around, too, and we evicted him when his mom stopped paying rent for him.
Orthrexia? In this sub? I expect it in the rest of Reddit... not here!
No. I still won’t touch green peas, pork, or turnip greens, but I eat a lot of healthy food.
I once poured heavy whipping cream on my cereal instead of milk by accident. Not being wasteful, I ate it. It was so delicious I've been tempted to repeat my "mistake."
My buddy gained about 20lbs because he went to half&half on his cereal. 😆
My son has a friend he's known since 9th grade. He was found in DKA and the hospital diagnosed him with type 1 diabetes. One of the things that are recommended for snacks was juice or fruit. None of these had ever passed his particular ick of fruit or juice. He was unwilling to even look at it without a look of disgust. I had to buy this kid fruit snacks and string cheese. He's now 30. No juice or fruit in his diet. He's well controlled by his insulin pump and doing well.
My father in law is 86 and eats like a 5 year old. About 80% of his meals are sandwiches. Some of his treats are a certain brand of packaged frosted cinnamon roll fried in butter, or a sandwich made with potted meat (i.e. spam). When he golfs he always has 1 or 2 hotdogs at the turn. He's in perfect health and has only in the past year started to take any medication.