I really hope that makes a difference to her, FlyMe. It really is good to get a reason for it all...

Thanks bloss that is so helpful.
I have told DD and she was thrilled to have a reason. She said that now she can tell eveyone she is a Supertaster!
We did a bbc questionaire on it and although it is obviously oriented toward adults she did come out as one.
Today I have stocked up on oatcakes, ryvita, sunflower seed and pumpkin seeds to make flapjacks with and some mixed nuts to see if there any she will try now.
Thanks all.

Can only speak from my own experience, FlyMe, but if I were you I would back off. And I would definitely avoid the 'But you used to...' or 'But I know you'll like this...' comments. My dh has finally learnt - after 16 year - that no amount of 'getting used to' pepper will ever make it edible to me. Gingerbread makes my tongue burn because it's hot. I can taste the difference between things that he has no idea of. Grapefruit juice is so sour it may as well be lemon juice... etc etc.

If I were you, I would explain about supertasting to your dd. It's such a relief to have some reason for it, instead of always being tut-tutted over because you're 'picky' and 'won't try' things. If she understands the cause, she may be more willing to try things.

Go for bland foods, but keep serving up the normal food for the rest of you. Try to prepare food with sauces on the side, eg get everyone to dress their salad separately as usually dressings are very sour. She can have plain lettuce instead. I find most salad leaves are too hot for me - anything with a peppery bite to it is really unpleasant. Anyway, you get the picture. The main thing is that she should have enjoyment of her food and feel that it is something she doesn't have to worry about - which is what everyone else gets to enjoy! When she feels more 'safe' about foods, she is more likely to try new things.

I didn't branch out until I was about 17 and it started getting embarrassing socially having such a narrow diet. I can now pass for 'normal' and have good variety, although I will never be able to drink coffee or have pepper on my food.

We were always saying 'but you used to love....spinach, sweet potato, peas, etc'
Wonder if DD3 has it. She has begun to limit her diet but then she is 2.
DD2 thank goodness eats a wide variety and like things like pickled onions and olives and puddings which DD1 wouldn't touch.
Thanks.

Oh wow.
Am trying to think of any strong foods she likes and apart from some sour sweets can come up with none.
Very interesting. So I should lay off the hassling and feed her bland versions of everything?

Hmmm... for 'toddler' that should be switching from a wide diet to a very narrow diet.

I would bet she's a supertaster. A supertaster is someone who has twice the number of tastebuds, hence oversensitive to lots of tastes. The typical supertaster pattern goes like this:

Baby: taste sense not fully developed. Eats everything.
Toddler: around 18 months taste sense matures and suddenly they are sensitive to tastes they've not detected before. This often leads to switching almost overnight from a wide diet to varied diet. Things with bitter tastes (not bitter to a normal taster) come as a shock and they become wary about new foods. This makes them scared of new foods/tastes and extremely unlikely to try new things.
Child/teen: Everyone is always hassling them to eat things and saying 'this tastes good' when to them it tastes very strong. They often retreat into VERY bland foods (no-one else can believe they actually want plain pasta and butter) with a very limited number of safe, familiar foods. Usually they are equally fussy about sweet and savoury foods - it's not a case of going for junk all the time. It's just an extremely narrow diet all round.
Adult: Usually branch out a bit when people stop hassling them. Still unlikely to drink coffee or strong tea. No chilli, pepper, goat's cheese, grapefruit juice - you get the picture. Anything with very strong tastes, esp sour or bitter, is off the menu.

I know this because I am one!

Dying to know on flyme's behalf ! Hurry up and post bloss...

Yes!
will only eat brocolli
One of her favourites is pasta with butter and parmesan as an example of bland things.
Why is it a recognized pattern?

Oh, and did she have a wide and varied diet until about 18 months, when it suddenly changed almost overnight?