Ah, you're talking about me!
I am 37. I don't eat fruit and veg. Well barely any. I eat potatoes, I will eat smooth veg based sauces (like a mushroom, bolognese or chilli sauce but much be blended). I can eat vegetable soup, if it's blended and sieved. I drink smooth orange juice. That's it.
I grew up eating a very limited diet, I basically lived on milk, orange juice, meat, cereals, rice, pasta, bread, cheese and fish. I was that way until late teens then I got more adventurous. It's weird I would always eat spicy or strongly flavoured foods that lots of children wouldn't (like a hot chicken curry) but not a bite of carrot or a banana. I would eat quite odd things for a young person/child - I always loved smoked salmon for example, but a spoon of peas? Nope, vomit. My parents despaired, I was taken to see several doctors who told my parents varying things from 'force her', 'starve her out' and 'she'll grow out of it, she's just attention seeking'. None of it worked.
It's not about taste for me. I like the taste of some vegetables (I love mushroom soup/sauces for example). It's texture. I have never, ever been able to bite and chew something that has the texture of veg and fruit. The wetness makes me gag and if I continue, vomit, as I try to swallow it.
I've tried lots of things over the years. Gradual exposure, bites, holding things in my mouth but not chewing. With limited success. I can now small manage bits of onion or tomato in a bolognese sauce for example. I could not bite a raw tomato, or an apple. I can eat eggs now, never could before. Still can't do fried or poached, too wet, but can do well cooked scrambled or an omelette 🤦♀️
My DD (5) has been diagnosed with autism. I do not know if I'm autistic or not, but we certainly share some traits and I actually suspect that even if I am not autistic then I have sensory difficulties. It all makes sense, after a lifetime of being told I'm a pain in the arse fussy eater, and a lifetime of people piss taking or being rude about me.
DD is a limited eater too, she will only eat certain set meals and as a baby she was a total nightmare for food. She also cannot tolerate certain textures. However happily, some of her set foods are quite a good variety of fruit and vegetables, as long as the vegetables are raw! So though she is very rigid about food she actually eats reasonably well from all food groups, loads of fruits, some salad and some raw veg, which is brilliant.
My younger child - who so far has no autistic traits - has no such issues and will eat anything you put in front of her. She's only 2.5 but she'll even give sprouts a go! She loves spinach too. Both children have been raised the same - huge variety because I was so conscious of them not being 'fussy' like me, lots of family mealtimes (they see their Dad eating healthily with piles of veg on his plates and I put salad on my plate etc even if they don't see me eat it). DH eats anything and everything, as does everyone else in our family. My brothers - raised identically to me - also eat everything.
I don't know what the answer is, but don't just assume people are stubborn and fussy. No one would know this about me, they'd all just assume the same. I'm sure some people genuinely do have no interest in deviating from their boring beige diets, but most people I bet would love to sit down and eat normally like everyone else. I've struggled with food my whole life. It's horrible, embarrassing, and unhealthy.
How do I not have rickets? Well I take a good daily multivitamin. I try to have a blended veg based sauce (like bolognese or chilli) twice a week. I make it normally then blend my portion so the rest of the family have theirs as it should be. And once a month I make a huge saucepan of a 12 veg soup, blend and sieve it -it's got to be sieved! - and have that for lunch a couple of times a week. Orange juice (just a glass) daily. It's definitely not my five a day, but it all helps, right?
It always makes me laugh on threads where people are talking about vegan restaurants and people say 'well the meat eaters can go to vegan restaurants because they eat all foods, but the vegans can't go to the meat eater ones really, there's little choice for them' and I think 'I couldn't, unless it was plain chips I bet there'd be nothing I can eat there!'. No offence, vegans 