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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!
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#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 1 month 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.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
Other Brits of a certain age will concur, the traditional method of cooking seemed to be to boil cabbage for a good 5 hours before serving. And everyone would hate it. Nowadays, just boil for a couple of minutes at most and I cannot get enough of it.
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.
Green Tree 1 month ago
Serious question - does anyone eat frozen spinach simply heated up with a little salt? Thats the way i was served it as a kid and hated it, took growing up to realize i was just served it in a way i couldn't stand
#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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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.
What do you think ?
Robert Beveridge 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month 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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