My best friend is a picky eater. She can count on her fingers everything she eats. While I consider this an adorable quirk about my favorite human, not everyone can accept this unique component of who she is. Throughout her life, she has faced many struggles of condemnation for her eating preferences. Alongside the fact that her eating habits are totally her business, she has some points of interest that she wishes for us common folk to know in order to better understand a picky eater’s way of life.

1. DON’T be offended if they choose not to eat the food you have prepared for them. Their choice to turn down your food does not have anything to do with your cooking mastery. They have specific preferences before coming to dine with you. They also do not mind skipping the meal, because they are understanding of the fact that not everyone can accommodate to their eating partiality.
2. They are actually willing to try new foods! There is a stigma that picky eaters refuse to try new things. In truth, they have already tried a good assortment of foods and just don’t favor them. I feel that picky eater’s motives differ with age. Often, when people hear the phrase “picky eater”, they associate it with children. Little ones who are labeled as picky eaters often take a liking to a specific food and decline to try anything else. As an adult though, a picky eater is likely open minded to trying new foods. They simply don’t like the edibles sometimes, and that is okay. When a picky eater doesn’t like a certain food, it is usually because it has a texture (slimy, mushy, crunchy) or taste (spicy, sweet, salty) that they are not partial to in any food.
3. HOWEVER, they do not want to “retry” things that they already have a solid opinion on. It is common for my friend to be in a situation where someone suggests that she try something “again”, in hopes that maybe she will enjoy it the second time around. This just makes her feel uncomfortable, for she is already fairly confident that her body does NOT like the food at hand.
4. They are no different from those who practice veganism, vegetarianism, paleo diet, etc. If someone wishes to be identified as a vegetarian and abstain from eating meats, no one confronts them about why they are not choosing to eat meat. This rarely happens because that would be considered extremely rude or overstepping social boundaries. Why are picky eaters addressed any differently for choosing to abstain from the foods they don’t wish to eat?
5. Being a picky eater does not define a person as being unhealthy or having an eating disorder. Suggesting that being a picky eater is detrimental to someone’s health can come across extremely rude (their health should be between them and their doctor)...not to mention inaccurate. More times than not, they are perfectly healthy and function normally. They can have a very minimal list of foods that they enjoy eating, but within that list can hold a healthy, balanced diet. For example, Taylor’s list of foods she can tolerate is relatively small compared to the average person. Her list consists of mac n cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, ziti, apples, grapes, mandarin oranges, PB&J sandwiches, meatball subs, cheese dip & salsa (yes, this is considered an actual meal for her), and chicken Parmesan. As you can see, it is a lot smaller of a list, but it is generally balanced. There is an assortment of meat, pasta, and fruit. She is physically and mentally healthy, and successful in school, work, and her personal relationships. Picky eating does not hold her back or influence her life in any negative way. The only negativity that she gets about picking eating is from those that attack her eating habits.
6. They are cheap dates!!! If you really find yourself needing a reason to accept a picky eater’s lifestyle, look no further! Picky eaters always eat cheaper than anyone else when going out to eat. Every time.

Picky eaters wish to be both respected and understood. Next time you encounter one, remember that their eating habits should be treated like anybody else’s. There are many contrasting types of picky eaters out there, so you should not assume that all picky eaters eat the same foods as my friend. Today I challenge you to try approaching them with an open mind and get to know them, for I know firsthand that they make for riveting, astounding friends!