There are several varieties of foods worldwide, and it can be normal not to be too enthused about some meals. A Washington Post news report indicated that 30% of people reject certain foods, whether they’re familiar with them or not.
Food aversions sometimes cause nutritional deficiencies and anxiety, leading to health problems. Indeed, the reluctance to try new meals is often a concern, but thankfully, they can be overcome with food creativity and the right strategies.
Here are a few simple ways to overcome your food aversions.
Start small
It is understandable if your food aversion is due to an underlying emotional reason. Fortunately, that can be overcome by starting small.
The worst thing you can do is force yourself to consume large quantities of meals you dislike because you want to overcome an aversion. Doing that can heighten your anxiety and discomfort.
Starting small will make it easier to get used to the particular meal you have an aversion to. For instance, you can work on broccoli aversion by including tiny cuts in your egg or pasta dish. Even if you must include small quantities for many weeks or months, it allows your body to get used to the new addition.
Remember that humans are creatures of habit, so the more you do this, the higher the chances of liking the taste enough to increase quantities. The truth is that many people with these limited dietary options only need to build confidence. It, in turn, builds tolerance levels until you can overcome the challenge.
Change the preparation method
Perhaps, your aversion has nothing to do with the food itself but the preparation method, and you will be willing to try the dish if cooked differently.
That is particularly true for those who aren’t too enthused about boiled vegetables in their foods. People who identify as such dislike this preparation method because of the mushy texture of vegetables when cooked in liquid. If that is the problem, it can be easily rectified by roasting or baking the same vegetables to give them a crispy texture.
Foods have distinctive tastes when cooked with different techniques. For example, the same ingredients used for sweet and sour chicken from themagicalslowcooker.com may taste different when prepared as regular stew or sauce.
That means that cooking techniques use temperature and duration to target different food chemical compounds, accounting for the varied tastes. This tip may be useful to you as someone with food aversion.
Approach new foods with a receptive mentality
Sometimes, you need external help to build a receptive mentality toward new foods.
That might be a support system of friends and family who help influence your mindset. People who overcame their food aversions admitted that a receptive mentality helped to change their perception of disliked foods. Indeed, it takes a lot of time and an open mind to get to this stage. It is worth noting that if your food aversion is due to a medical condition, it would be best to stick to your doctor’s advice.
However, without any underlying eating disorder, it might be an exhilarating experience to try new foods and enjoy the delicious foods you have been missing out on.
