Healthy Eating for an EXTREMELY Picky Teen?!


Question: I'm an EXTREMELY picky eater. I won't eat:

Anything with lumps in it, mushrooms, peppers, chunks of tomato (SMOOTH tomato sauce is okay), onions, zucchini's, brussel sprouts, broccoli, oranges, anything with seeds, yogurt with bits, rice, chicken with bones, ribs, lamb, steak, blue cheese, wheat bread, oriental food (Exceptions: sweet and sour chicken with NO veggies or rice, and Teriyaki chicken) especially the noodles, stuffing, beans (except baked beans), salsa, nearly all mexican foods, most green foods. There's more but I can't remember right now.

What I will eat:
Potatos, cheese, pasta, goat cheese , chicken, turkey (no bones!), grapes, strawberries, cherries, lettuce (ONLY if i have to, and NOT on burgers), tomatoes (Same as lettuce), BREAD (not wheat), carrots, peas, CORN (Only on the cob). JUNK FOOD (not mexican!) ITALIAN!

I really do want to eat healthier, but I hate all of the recipes I've found. Can ANYONE help me? Recipes and advice on changing my eating habits needed!


Answers: I'm an EXTREMELY picky eater. I won't eat:

Anything with lumps in it, mushrooms, peppers, chunks of tomato (SMOOTH tomato sauce is okay), onions, zucchini's, brussel sprouts, broccoli, oranges, anything with seeds, yogurt with bits, rice, chicken with bones, ribs, lamb, steak, blue cheese, wheat bread, oriental food (Exceptions: sweet and sour chicken with NO veggies or rice, and Teriyaki chicken) especially the noodles, stuffing, beans (except baked beans), salsa, nearly all mexican foods, most green foods. There's more but I can't remember right now.

What I will eat:
Potatos, cheese, pasta, goat cheese , chicken, turkey (no bones!), grapes, strawberries, cherries, lettuce (ONLY if i have to, and NOT on burgers), tomatoes (Same as lettuce), BREAD (not wheat), carrots, peas, CORN (Only on the cob). JUNK FOOD (not mexican!) ITALIAN!

I really do want to eat healthier, but I hate all of the recipes I've found. Can ANYONE help me? Recipes and advice on changing my eating habits needed!

Do potatoes include sweet potatoes? If not, that would be a good place to branch out and start trying something a little bit new. If you like peas, try snow pea pods, but try slicing them so they're not as much like actual vegetables, and add them into some spaghetti with a little teriyaki chicken to make a kind of lo mein with some fiber and protein in it. Another big part of eating a healthier diet is getting enough fluids, so try to drink as much of 6 glasses of water as you can stand.

Sandwich wraps are another good way to eat veggies, fruit and chicken together as a healthy portable lunch, so you don't have to get junk food. Fruit smoothies are good for you, and you can get those REALLY smooth in a blender so you don't have chunks of fruit in it.

It's okay to have an aversion to some foods, but you are really limiting yourself. If some of these foods you 'hate' haven't been on your plate in a while, give them a whirl again. And try to buy one new food every week or so at the grocery, just to try something new. You may surprise yourself with what you like. Good luck, and I hope you're able to gradually broaden your tastes!

Oh man! All i can say is that you are really missing out. Most of the foods you don't eat ARE healthy.

-Try tabouli - a great middle eastern salad
-a good idea is making cornish pastries, or samosas, that way you can make your own fillings.
-There are many great potato recipes: my best is frying potatoes in the shapes of small cubes(not too small!) and adding minced garlic and fresh corriander - it is truely a great taste, im sure you will like it!
-For desserts, what about pies, and fruit cakes, strawberry muffins etc..
-theres always smoothies: there you can always add the fruit/veges you don't like without even tasting it but still getting the nutrients.
- there are many great recipes for pasta on the net! a plain one is: cooking onion and some garlic in a pan with BUTTER and then add it to the spagetti with lemon and a tad of olive oil with herbs(basil is a good one) that way there are no lumps! ;)
-make stew type thing with potatoes, peas, tomatoes and any other vegetables and serve with rice -- experimenting on the flavours you like


Hope that helps! and good luck! :)

good enuff....
season a chicken breast with lemon juice, garlic paste and oregano (and salt n pepper to taste) and grill it....since its a no to mushrooms, make marinara sauce out of tomatoes and basil and garlic and pour it over the chicken.

try turkey sandwiches with mayo and chopped carrots....or a salad with turkey bits and carrots...top it with grated boiled potatoes and blue cheese....

and try smoothies with strawberries and cherries and vanilla ice cream.....

how about picturing all those poor children in third world countries who have NOTHING to eat! be grateful for what your folks provide for you. learn to like the stuff they buy thats healthier.

I think you just need to grow up a little and get over the bad habit of not eating things because it has "lumps" in it.

Oh my. Ok here's a great recipe for chicken that has no lumps in it.
1/2 cup american mustard (don't worry it won't taste like it)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp each of dried basil and paprika
1/2 tsp of dried parsley.
Mix all together. Preheat oven to 350 and pour half the mix over some chicken breast or thighs and bake for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, drain excess juice and pour remaining mixture over chicken. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes. YUMM
You could have a side of mashed potates and if you don't like lumps then try putting through the hand mixer, that's what I do and they are so smooth.
Any sort of vegetable also on the side.
There you go, a great dish for a picky teen. Even my kid eats it cause it tastes so sweet!





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