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30 Foods People Wouldn’t Eat As Children But Can’t Live Without As Adults
Interview With Expert
Kids are notorious for being picky eaters. Whether it’s the way something looks, how it tastes, or just an unexplainable ‘nope,’ once they decide they don’t like it, good luck convincing them otherwise.
But as we grow up, our taste buds mature, and plenty of once-despised meals become favorites. So when one Redditor asked people to share the foods they used to push aside but now can’t get enough of, the responses came in fast. From classic childhood enemies like broccoli to surprising picks like frosting and even pizza, find their answers below. And if any of these ring a bell, let us know in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Spaghetti. As a kid growing up my dad cooked it at home and never bothered to drain the water off the noodles, so a plate-full of noodles floating in water plus his home-made sauce was just awful. When spahetti was served at school for lunch it wasn't much better. Now as an adult I've found good spaghetti and love it.
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#2
Soup, nothing like a warm bowl of soup especially when you're sick.
#3
Tell me why it feels like everyones mothers boiled the sh*t out of vegetables up until like 2010. I swear everyone hated vegetables and then we all collectively realized "oh wait, if you roast them with even the smallest bit of seasoning, theyre delicious."
Why were we all eating barely salted boiled sh*t?!
Of course, having an aversion to certain foods isn’t the same as being a picky eater. We all have our own tastes—I, for one, can’t stand boiled beetroot unless it’s in borscht, and I have a weird dislike for ripe bananas. I actually prefer them when they’re still slightly green. Other than that, there’s not much I wouldn’t try.
As a kid, though, I was much fussier. And it turns out, I wasn’t alone—being particular about what’s on your plate is pretty common in childhood. Research suggests that anywhere from 13% to 22% of kids are labeled picky eaters by their parents, and in one study of preschoolers, that number shot up to 54%.
#4
Olives 🫒💚.
#5
Sweet potatoes. It was the only food I refused to eat as a kid. And when I refused, my dad would make me stand and stare at the corner for 20 minutes until I was allowed to come back. Then I still could not leave the table until I had ONE bite of the sweet potatoes.
So ridiculous. Imagine knowing your child hates one particular food, so you make it anyway then punish them for not eating it. S**t like that is why I have anxiety as an adult.
Now that I’m older I like sweet potatoes simply because I researched the nutritional value of them and prepare them in a way I enjoy.
April Pickett 9 months ago
My parents used that take-one-bite scenario. They also liked the starving children in China approach.
#6
Cabbages. As a kid it was just mush to me. But then once I found it it was inside eggrolls - I started to give it a chance and as an adult like to eat it so many ways now.
But why do some kids flat-out refuse to eat anything beyond their handful of “safe” foods while others will happily try whatever’s in front of them? Pediatric dietitian Emma Shafqat told Bored Panda that there are plenty of reasons.
“Genetics can play a role, as some kids are naturally more sensitive to tastes, textures, and smells. Feeding experiences early in life also make a difference—negative associations with food, illness, or pressure to eat can lead to avoidance,” she said. “I know my little girl had multiple allergies and reflux, and this affected her relationship with food. I feel it was responsible for her struggling with fussy eating.”
Some children also experience sensory processing challenges, making certain textures or flavors overwhelming, Shafqat noted. Others may struggle with the motor skills needed for chewing and swallowing. “It’s important to remember that picky eating isn’t just a behavioral issue, it often has underlying causes,” she said.
So while picky eating can be frustrating for parents, there’s usually more to it than just stubbornness.
#7
Spinach. But, I won't eat it cooked. I liked fresh garden peas when I was a kid, now they make me gag.
#8
Eggs. It was a sudden and permanent change, too! Absolutely love them now...especially with potatoes and cheese and hot sauce.
The Doom Song 9 months ago
Eggs never last long in my house! Even our dog gets an egg everyday!
#10
Brussels sprouts, my grandma use to make us eat them couple days a week especially in summer time they grew crazy in the garden, I couldn’t leave the table if I didn’t eat atleast half, now it’s my favorite with a little hot sauce and I buy tons every time at store and grow them in my own garden.
#11
Avocado.. I swear they weren’t a thing when I was a child😂 or my mum just never brought them, I think I first tried one in my mid 20’s and now have one every single morning.
#12
Curry. Paternal side is Indian. Go figure.
Once you move out of home, you kinda want to eat what you didn’t want previously.
#14
Beans. My parents used to force me to stay at the table to eat even one bean. Then I hit 17, became a vegetarian, and thought that maybe I should start eating beans. Two years later and I'm absolutely obsessed. All I want is black beans every day.
#16
Tomatoes. My parents always bought super ripe mushy tomatoes. I think it was more of a consistency thing.
Norm Gilmore 9 months ago
Straight off the vine, still sun warm on fresh bread. A little salt and pepper. Magic.
#17
Wait for it...beef steaks.i grew up in a family that didn't really BBQ much and my mom likes her steaks beyond dead, so whenever we cooked steaks they were dry and almost inedible. And then I went to a friend's house who's father cooked them properly when I was about 16 and my life was changed.
April Pickett 9 months ago
I don't want to know anyone that makes a steak taste like shoe leather. It's hard to cut and chew and tastes like cardboard wrapped around shoe leather.
#18
Artichokes- Been having them every week since spring. It’s the end of season now and I will miss them. We steam them, roast them, grill them. Anyway we cook them they’re wonderful.
#19
Birthday cake. As a kid, I really couldn’t stand frosting for some reason. I still don’t like chocolate frosting at all, but give me a white raspberry cake with vanilla buttercream and I will merge molecules with it instantly.
BookFanatic 9 months ago
I had a friend in college who wouldn't eat any kind of cake. His mom served up a seriously underbaked birthday cake when he was a kid and now even the smell of cake is enough to make him gag.
#20
Sushi/Sashimi.
#21
Mashed potato. It was made so lumpy.
Damned_Cat 9 months ago
I like some small chunks of potato left in the mash. I don't like whipped potatoes - too mushy.
#22
Horseradish. Specifically, horseradish sauce on beef in any form, and catsup and horseradish (typically a shrimp cocktail sauce) is good on a lot of things. When I was young I decided that anything called horseradish had to taste nasty.
#23
Mustard. Yeah it's more of a condiment but...
Huddo's sister 9 months ago
I still don't like American or English mustard, but Dijon is okay. I love whole mustard seeds though and add them to a lot of foods.
#27
Cheesecake. Hated it because it would be so filling. Now I crave one every other day.
#28
Cottage cheese.
Firstname Lastname 9 months ago
My mother said it was gross so I didn't have it until I was an adult who needed protein options. Then I started buying it weekly. Turns out we have different taste buds.
#29
Meatloaf.
#30
Idli and Puttu.
After moving away from home and missing these , i love them now.
#31
Mango.
Peeka_Mimi 9 months ago
I love mango and introduced it to my granddaughter. She loves them too.
#32
Sunday roast.
#33
Mostly stuffed veggies, like stuffed eggplants, and stuffed zuchinis , and stuffed cabbage, things like peas and beans.....i was pretty much a chicken loving kid, took me until i left the nest to understand the importance of a balanced diet.
#34
Hated almost every food as a kid. now I like almost everything.
K Barnes 9 months ago
I was SO picky as a kid, my poor parents. I decided to force myself to try and acquire many tastes over time. Now I eat everything but a handful of foods. I'm trying to acquire those tastes now. Cilantro is coming along (gross but can tolerate) but the horseradish and fennel families are still tough for me. I'll keep microdosing myself on them.
#35
Beer, and salads.
Grandpa gave me some beer to taste when i was 6. It was freadfull. Now I like some IPAs
Salads, they were dull vegies when I was small. NOw when I want to make som I add ton of spices and meat and cheese, olive oil, they tastes nice 🙂.
Niels AirMax 9 months ago
"Grandpa gave me some beer to taste when i was 6" Oldschool-Grandpas are just the coolest guys on earth! Had one of those too!😂
#36
Believe it or not, pizza. As a child I couldn't *stand* it. Once I got to college...*boom* I love that stuff. Now I must go apologize to my waistline again.
#37
Gherkins, i first tried them when i got a big mac for the first time when i was about 12 or so (i never actually bought the big mac mcdonalds accidentally gave me one). when i tried it i thought i liked it until i ate the gherkin and spat it out, i tried it again a few years later and theh started to grow on me now gherkins are one of my favourite foods. i also used to despise onions mostly because of their texture but now i really enjoy them especially fried with steak.
#39
Stilton cheese. My dad loved it and I couldn't stand the smell of it. Now I'm the dad and I love it.
#40
Water.
Theo Blackwood 9 months ago
I had to move across the country to start enjoying water. The water from the taps here is so clear and tastes lovely. I always lived in hard water areas which totally change the taste.
#42
Potatoes!
My parents couldn't even trick me to eat potatoes when i was an infant. When i was a toddler it was even more difficult to get me to eat it.
Now i am basically potato based, it's my only weekday carbohydrate source (in different forms, of course) as i don't eat rice or pasta.
Lee Gilliland 9 months ago
It is not coincidental that a lot of these food are bitter. Kids actually have taste buds that taste bitter far more strongly in adults. It's a poison defense from nature.
#43
I didn’t like pizza or donuts when I was pretty young. I know, what the heck was wrong with me. 😂
No goes as a kid were
Fish
Lamb -still don’t like
Pizza
Donuts
Brussels sprouts
Milk - still don’t like
Mustard
Ham like the holiday kind - still not a huge fan
Blue cheese
But overall now I’ll eat anything even if I don’t really like it and it’s served to me. Like lamb.
#44
Pickles on burgers.
Most-Acanthisitta823: 43 years old and just started liking pickles last year.
Huddo's sister 9 months ago
I loved eating the ones my dad and sister took off their burgers (because they were rarely taken off when requested). Not sure why, because I tried dill pickles as an adult and didn't like them, but maybe the ones used were much sweeter or something.
#45
Fish 🐟.
Deta Rossiter 9 months ago
i dislike fish due to the smell, and usually finding a bone in my serving. just no fish now
#46
Cashews used to make me gag as a kid. I have no idea why, even the smell of salted cashews would make my stomach turn.
Lovem now.
Lara Verne 9 months ago
I didn't try cashews until I was adult, thay quickly became my favorites
#47
Parsnips. Hated them as a kid, now I absolutely love them. I honestly don't know how that happened.
#48
My mom's goulash. We dreaded that s**t as kids now it's comfort food!
#53
Sour beef & dumplings.
#55
Corn bread and stuffing. I love them both now!
Huddo's sister 9 months ago
The only time I tried cornbread was when my brother tried making it from a Mexican cookbook. I don't know why but it turned out awful! It was really sweet for some reason. Mind you, I don't know what it was supposed to taste like.
#56
I never grew to love food I used to hate. I grew to tolerate a lot more food though. Raspberries, blackberries, zucchini, almonds, and cucumbers come to mind.
#57
Most sauces. I was the pickiest eater ever growing up and now I find I like most things. Tea as well- all kinds.
What do you think ?
Robert Beveridge 9 months ago
I HATED mushrooms as a kid...by the time I was a senior in high school, I considered them one of the four basic food groups (and still do 40 years later).
BrunoVI 9 months ago
I hated lettuce as a kid. Tastes like soap. Finally, I had salad prepared correctly at Chopt. Turns out if you actually TOSS salad instead of just handing someone a place of lettuce, an unpeeled slice of cucumber and a tomato that looks (and probably tastes) like a mouse hemorrhoid, the dressing coats the lettuce and covers up the milky fluid that gives lettuce its name and soapy flavor. ("Lettuce" comes from the Latin word for "milk.")
Robert Beveridge 9 months ago
I HATED mushrooms as a kid...by the time I was a senior in high school, I considered them one of the four basic food groups (and still do 40 years later).
BrunoVI 9 months ago
I hated lettuce as a kid. Tastes like soap. Finally, I had salad prepared correctly at Chopt. Turns out if you actually TOSS salad instead of just handing someone a place of lettuce, an unpeeled slice of cucumber and a tomato that looks (and probably tastes) like a mouse hemorrhoid, the dressing coats the lettuce and covers up the milky fluid that gives lettuce its name and soapy flavor. ("Lettuce" comes from the Latin word for "milk.")
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