To not understand how a fully grown adult..

[LifesLittleDeciders]

Doesn’t like any vegetables at all?
I was just watching a video about a man who wanted to find recipes he could eat that don’t contain vegetables as he doesn’t like any veg.

I mean come on.. there’s as many flavours in different vegetables as there are colours in the world.. yet he would proclaim to ‘hate all colours’

I just don’t get it. Kids I sort of understand; especially when they descend from fussy parents. But I just think ‘grow up’ when I read about adults not touching vegetables. I’m not talking about “I don’t like broccoli or carrots” - won’t eat vegetables at all.

And the “salad? Do I look like a rabbit?” Slur that comes from people

Who won’t eat anything remotely green or healthy, that saying really boils my piss. Just say no thank you?!

I know IABU as it’s none of my business but it just made me roll my eyes and would be interested to hear others opinions on it.

I really can't stand most vegetables, but I'll happily eat salad.
I like most fruit also.

Well as someone who doesn't like any fruit or veg at all because the texture makes me physically sick (I have tried all of them more than once) YABVU and judgey.

But the textures are all different surely? Crunchy sweet peppers, soft peas, grainy cauliflower, watery cucumber, creamy aubergine ? Vegetables have many tastes and textures.

ASD texture issues aside, the people who say they don't like fruit & veg never seem to gag on burgers, chicken nuggets or chips. Or crisps with improbable flavours. Or newsagent chocolate.

The things they don't gag on strike me as much grimmer than the things they do.

@ClearMountain

The mistake is thinking you have to like vegetables to eat them. You’re an adult, you should be able to take your medicine even if it’s not very nice. I dislike most veg but I force them down for health reasons.

I am the same, i don't like vegetables but eat them anyway. I don't like fruit either, but i will eat the odd banana if i am feeling virtuous. We didn't have a freezer growing up and most of our meals were cooked from scratch, everyone else in my family love fruit and veg so it's not any kind of conditioning or habit.

I don’t understand it either.
However, I’ve never really liked cooked vegetables for some reason. Raw, yes - cooked, only if I have to. I only eat broccoli cos it’s so good for you and the rest of the family are fans. Obv I’ll eat veg in a recipe, but on the side - give me salad!!!
I love all fruit though pretty much.

My kids (and I) won't go, oh wow, broccoli! No thanks, I'd really rather not have that burger, but that broccoli - lemme at it! I'm just glad that they tolerate and do enjoy when it's stuck in front of them, a wide range of veges and fruit. I think positive interactions around food and a lack of force/battles has really helped. (That, and they're neurotypical, there were no additional challenges).

[quote LifesLittleDeciders]@Rainbowdino my DP is like this; very much was brought up on beige food, frozen pizza, onions rings, chips ect. He was a bit skeptical when we brought a house and the buying of freezer food is for emergencies only 😂 It didn’t take him long to get used to me cooking fresh food every day; but he was never a veg-hater I don’t think, he just preferred freezer food as it’s easier and ‘it’s still nice’ - while I was brought up with everything cooked fresh and learned to cook basic very young; the lack of freezer food I ate as a child has reflected as an adult as I don’t like to eat it, I will only have a frozen pizza or some chicken nuggets ect if I’m being really lazy or if it’s too late to cook one evening.

I definitely think it’s the way people are brought up you are right.[/quote]
Not the way people are brought up, or how do you explain my vegetarian child who will eat any veggie food, favourites being vegetable curries, mixed veg walnut crumble, salads with any number of pulses and toppings, and my other child who will only eat carrots, peas and sweetcorn?

The textures of veg and fruit are all wet. They all have a high water content so have a wet texture. While peppers might be crunchy, they are wet and crunchy - unlike a breadstick. I know people who dislike wet feeling food, so dislike fruit and veg.

My son has sensory issues and is desperate to like other food. He will happily try veg regularly but has never been able to have one in his mouth without gagging. It is so horribly limiting. He doesn’t get invited to friends houses because he has such a limited food repertoire. He couldn’t do forest school as they are expected to cook and eat their dinner and the food is wet. I know a couple of adults who are the same way and I suspect my son won’t change.

We eat EVERYTHING. Son grew up to be a chef and not only cooks and eats everything, but grows his own organic veg and berries, too. DH said he hated eggplant, which you call aubergine, but now he’s had it several ways and likes it! We don’t eat beef or pork or lamb, so if we didn’t eat veg, our diet would be very very limited. My garden is full of green beans, carrots and tomatoes right now and in our area, strawberries are in season. We have strawberries almost every night for dessert. If one isn’t willing to even try, how will they learn to like a variety? We are pretty adventurous though. If someone else eats it and it doesn’t kill them, we will generally try it. Chicken breasts piled with spinach and artichoke. Ratatouille in the spring with crusty buttered bread. Veg soup! Corn on the cob in summer. Nutty squashes and crispy melons. I can’t think of any that we don’t love!

DH and I really worry our DD will turn out like this, both of us have plenty of people in our families who are terrible eaters DD is nearly 3 and has never eaten much veg right since we started weaning and it's gotten worse and worse. The only veg she eats is cucumber, corn on the cob and boiled carrots. Nothing else anymore. She refuses to try most veg/veg based dinners or she will just eat the other components of the meal. I'm hoping she will grow out of it but I'm doubtful me and DH both eat almost everything despite vastly different diets growing up (mine involved much more veg and different cuisines, his was more bland and freezer based). I particularly love vegetables as a food group, I think the only veg I don't like are kale and mushrooms. A roast with tons of veg is one of my favourite meals!

@thegooglemum I'm the same. Don't particularly enjoy any. Just eat it because I should and to set an example to my DC

It’s infuriating, my husband won’t eat veg at all....not even cooked in food. If we do spag Bol I have to blitz chopped tomatoes or use pasata. I have a child with a lot of food allergies and him. I don’t have the time to cook 3 different meals.

Those of you who don't enjoy vegetables - have you explored different ways of cooking and seasoning them?

That's so interesting. Do you prefer savoury over sweet in general?

I could never marry someone who was a picky eater. I once ditched a boyfriend with very conservative tastes. Mind you, he was irritating in many ways 😂. However, I do understand that some people (not all) have sensory issues.
Brought both my children up the same. One was fine with food, but my son was very awkward. He went to university catering for himself and came back eating practically everything!

I meant to say I don’t really like fruit as I find the cold wet sweetness not very appealing- unless it’s hot weather. But I love veg cooked and softer. Not as keen on it cold and crunchy. I eat probably 8 portions a day. The reason my sons don’t eat any is not because the food I cook is beige or we are fussy.

I wasn’t brought up on beige food and was given plenty of veg to eat (carrot brocolli sweetcorn peas parsnips turnip etc) and I ate them but I don’t like them or enjoy them bar carrots. If I never ate veg again I wouldn’t miss it. But I know it’s good for me so I get on with it!

@MrsKoala

The textures of veg and fruit are all wet. They all have a high water content so have a wet texture. While peppers might be crunchy, they are wet and crunchy - unlike a breadstick. I know people who dislike wet feeling food, so dislike fruit and veg.

My son has sensory issues and is desperate to like other food. He will happily try veg regularly but has never been able to have one in his mouth without gagging. It is so horribly limiting. He doesn’t get invited to friends houses because he has such a limited food repertoire. He couldn’t do forest school as they are expected to cook and eat their dinner and the food is wet. I know a couple of adults who are the same way and I suspect my son won’t change.

I kind of get this. I’m not enthusiastic about raw fruit because it’s wet, cold and sweet. I like the taste though. Being so sugary I don’t bother really but I wouldn’t say I don’t like fruit.

You can change the wet texture of veg by adding fat. Like potatoes. Or battered tempura. There’s not much difference in the mouthful of ice cream or cauliflower cheese. Veggie burgers are dry as.

I get kids with sensory issues struggle. It’s not great for adults though as they have the ability to shop and cook themselves.

I really dislike perfumed food, cucumber, parsnips, melon all taste soapy to me but I've tried em. People are very passionate about not eating veg. Wow! (I HATE JUDGEMENTAL VEG LOVERS) 🤣 you can always spot a veg Dodger, I used to tell my niece that cauliflower was a skin miracle. One day it dawned on her that I would say that about any veg to get her to eat it. Not a lie!

Well I dont eat meat and have a gluten problem so I'd be buggered without veg and cheese

I love them all, but I was lucky because my mother was a wonderful cook.

I only dislike vegetables when they are over-cooked, and unfortunately this seems to happen rather a lot,

Am I right in thinking that it is mainly blokes who refuse to eat veggies?

I really dislike perfumed food, cucumber, parsnips, melon all taste soapy to me but I've tried em.

Cucumbers taste weird to me too, they taste very bitter to the point of being really unpleasant so I don't eat them. Ditto grapefruit, kale, and asparagus. Avocado is creamy and bitter. Tomatoes taste vaguely fishy, even cherry tomatoes, and I can only eat them if they're cooked in a sauce. Iceberg lettuce tastes of nothing so I don't eat that. I don't like cheese, can't swallow it without retching because its so textural wrong, if it's cooked into something I can manage it but once it goes cold again its a firm no.

I voted Yabu. Mainly because I think people forget children with sensory issues or autism, etc grow up to be adults and a lot of people in these categories will not eat certain things for a variety of reasons.

There are many, many undiagnosed adults around too because there wasn't so much of an awareness of autism when they were growing up. It is not uncommon for a child's ASD assessment to trigger a realisation in one, or even both, of their parents that they themselves are quite probably autistic and more than a few go on to seek their own assessment.

@Flatoutonsofa

I could never marry someone who was a picky eater. I once ditched a boyfriend with very conservative tastes. Mind you, he was irritating in many ways 😂. However, I do understand that some people (not all) have sensory issues. Brought both my children up the same. One was fine with food, but my son was very awkward. He went to university catering for himself and came back eating practically everything!

My friend did marry someone like this. What a nightmare we had no idea. We served them up some chicken wings one time and he didn’t eat it because he doesn’t like chicken on the bone. She offered to cut it off for him and that was also a no. He sulked off and got himself a pizza, that was also terrible and he didn’t eat so he just sat there In a bad mood. It was very uncomfortable