How to Train Yourself to Not Be a Picky Eater

November 18, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2024 survey, 50% of Americans consider themselves picky eaters, and nearly half of them have never tried to change their habits. However, it is possible to train yourself to not be a picky eater and expand your culinary horizons for better health and more enjoyable social experiences.

Quick Summary

This article explores the reasons behind picky eating in adults, highlighting the psychological and sensory factors. It provides a multi-pronged approach, including strategies for gradual exposure, palate retraining, and mindful eating, to help overcome food aversion. This guide also offers tips for creating a non-threatening and positive environment to make mealtime a less stressful and more fulfilling experience.

Key Points

Start Slowly: Introduce new foods in very small amounts, paired with familiar favorites to reduce anxiety and build comfort.
Repeat Exposure: Don't give up after one try; it can take multiple exposures to a new food before you begin to like it.
Engage Your Senses: Practice mindful eating by paying attention to the colors, smells, textures, and tastes of your food without judgment.
Control Your Environment: Cook at home to control your ingredients and preparation, and ensure a low-pressure, enjoyable mealtime setting.
Challenge Your Perceptions: Revisit foods you disliked as a child, as your tastes may have matured, and try new cooking methods to alter their texture and flavor.
Seek Professional Help: For severe cases, especially those with sensory issues, consulting an occupational therapist or dietitian can provide a more structured approach.

Understanding the Roots of Picky Eating

Becoming a picky eater isn't always a simple matter of taste; it can be rooted in deeply ingrained habits and psychological factors. Food neophobia, the strong reluctance to try unfamiliar foods, is a significant component, often linked to sensory sensitivities and learned behavior from childhood. For many adults, a negative past experience with food, pressure to eat certain things, or an oversensitivity to textures, smells, and flavors can create anxiety around mealtimes. Severe cases might even indicate Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a clinically defined condition. Recognizing these underlying causes is the first step toward retraining your palate and overcoming aversion.

The Gradual Exposure Method: A Step-by-Step Approach

Trying to overhaul your diet overnight is often overwhelming and can lead to failure. The most successful approach is a gradual and consistent one. The principle is repeated exposure, serving new foods alongside familiar favorites in a non-pressured environment. It can take up to 15 tries for a person to accept a new food.

Start small: Introduce new foods in very small quantities. Add a tiny amount of a new vegetable to a favorite pasta sauce or mix it with a well-liked salad dressing. The goal is to build familiarity without overwhelming your senses.
Keep trying: If you dislike a food the first time, don't give up. Your taste buds can be retrained. Try preparing the same food in different ways—roasting a vegetable instead of boiling it can dramatically change its texture and flavor.
Pair wisely: Use flavors you already enjoy to make a new food more palatable. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on a new green vegetable or mix a new grain with a familiar one.
Explore food families: Try variants of foods you already like. If you enjoy apples, try eating them baked, in applesauce, or with a sprinkle of cinnamon to acclimate yourself to slight variations.

Mindful Eating and Sensory Exploration

Mindful eating is a powerful tool for shifting your relationship with food from one of anxiety to one of appreciation. Instead of focusing on your fear of new foods, this practice encourages you to engage with your senses and savor the experience.

The process involves:

Paying Attention: Eliminate distractions like television and phones during meals. Focus solely on the food in front of you.
Using Your Senses: Before you even take a bite, look at the colors and shapes, smell the aromas, and observe the texture. This engagement reduces the element of the unknown.
Chewing Slowly: Taking smaller, more deliberate bites helps you appreciate the nuances of flavor and texture. Pay attention to the "mouthfeel" of the food—is it smooth, crunchy, or chewy?
Avoiding Judgment: Don't label foods as "good" or "bad". Just observe your reaction without guilt. You are simply gathering data about your own preferences.

How Your Cooking Style and Environment Impact Your Palate

Your approach to meals significantly affects your openness to new foods. Creating a low-pressure, enjoyable atmosphere can make a world of difference.

Cook at home: Experimenting with new recipes in your own kitchen gives you complete control over ingredients and preparation. You can start by tweaking familiar dishes with new spices or vegetables.
Make it fun: Get creative with presentation. Arranging food in an appealing way can make it more enticing. Themes or playful plating can reduce mealtime stress.
Eat with others: Observing a friend or family member enjoying a new dish can make you more inclined to try it. Social cues play a role in food acceptance.
Experiment with presentation: A study found that even the color of the plate can influence taste perception for picky eaters. Experimenting with different dishware can alter your psychological experience.

Comparison of Approaches to Expanding Your Palate


Approach	How it works	Best for...	Potential Drawbacks
Gradual Exposure	Repeatedly offering new foods in small, non-pressured amounts alongside familiar favorites.	Individuals with moderate neophobia and a desire to slowly build comfort.	Can be slow and may require a lot of patience.
Mindful Eating	Focusing on the sensory experience of food without judgment to retrain the brain's association.	Highly anxious eaters who need to establish a positive relationship with food.	May require consistent practice and discipline to implement effectively.
Cooking & Environment	Taking control of cooking and creating a fun, low-pressure atmosphere.	Those who feel overwhelmed or judged in social eating situations.	Requires time and effort to cook regularly.
Sensory Retraining	Deliberately exposing oneself to disliked textures, smells, and tastes in a controlled manner.	Individuals whose pickiness is primarily texture-based.	Can be intense and potentially triggering if not done cautiously.

Conclusion

Training yourself to not be a picky eater is a journey that requires patience, consistency, and an open mindset. By understanding the psychological and sensory factors at play, you can apply practical strategies like gradual exposure, mindful eating, and environmental control to expand your palate. It is a process of retraining your brain to view food with curiosity rather than fear, ultimately leading to a more varied, nutritious diet and a more positive relationship with eating. Remember to celebrate small successes and approach setbacks with grace. Over time, you can transform mealtime from a source of anxiety into an adventurous, enjoyable experience. For those struggling significantly, especially with sensory issues or ARFID, consulting a healthcare professional like an occupational therapist or registered dietitian is a recommended and helpful step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Food neophobia is the fear or strong reluctance to try unfamiliar foods. It is a common component of picky eating and is rooted in evolutionary and developmental factors.

Yes, adults can absolutely change their eating habits. While it requires patience and effort, techniques like repeated exposure, mindful eating, and trying different preparation methods can successfully expand an adult's palate.

There is no single answer, as it varies by individual. Research suggests it can take 8 to 15 exposures to a new food before it is accepted and liked.

No, forcing yourself can create negative associations and increase anxiety. Instead, focus on small, gradual, and non-pressured exposures to build familiarity and confidence.

Yes, anxiety and distress around mealtimes are common for picky eaters, especially in social situations. Mindful eating and creating a calm, supportive environment can help reduce this anxiety.

Texture is a significant factor for many picky eaters, often linked to sensory sensitivities. Trying different cooking methods can change the texture of food and make it more tolerable.

If picky eating leads to a very limited diet, it can result in nutritional deficiencies and a lack of fiber. Severe, restrictive eating may indicate a more serious condition like ARFID.