Hey there! My name is Haley, and I am the writer behind Nuggies to Nourished. I created this blog after my own battle with picky eating. After tons — and I mean TONS — of research about picky eating over six years, I realized that I was effectively on my own with my journey to widen my palate.

There wasn’t much help out there.

There isn’t much research out there on picky eating in adults. There is no consensus on why it happens or how to treat it. To make matters worse, I found that most top resources weren’t even written by picky eaters! Sure, I found some okay advice in my research, but it took way too much time and effort to unearth anything I could use.

Many resources recommended expensive therapies, eating disorder hotlines, and (the worst advice) simply sucking it up. I knew that it wasn’t quite that simple. I had been picky for so long that it wasn’t just about the food anymore, it was about the fear I felt surrounding food. When I thought about trying new foods, or was invited over to a loved one’s home for a meal, I felt this intense knot of anxiety in my throat and chest. It’s actually that same anxiety that pushed me to take action. I HAD to figure out how to fix it.

I won’t sugarcoat it. It was hard.

As it turned out, I would eventually have to turn to trial and error to find out what I could do to widen my palate and overcome my limited preferences when it came to food. Over, and over again, I experienced failure. I experienced a lot of setbacks, and I even gave up a few times. And after a lot of time, frustration, and — admittedly — tears, I finally feel that I have a pretty solid answer on how the average picky eater can start overcoming it for good.

Learning to cook changed my life.

After my husband and I moved in together in 2021, I started experimenting in the kitchen. The original reason that I started cooking on a consistent basis was actually finances. At the time, food prices were skyrocketing due to COVID, and we knew it was way too expensive for us to eat out on a regular basis. I mean, come on, $15 for two at a fast food restaurant? Ridiculous.

Preparing my own food frequently exposed me to the process of cooking, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I felt a sense of accomplishment every night, and the more success I had making my safe foods, the more confident I felt in exploring things I had not cooked before. I started researching healthy-ish alternatives to my safe foods, starting with chicken nuggets.

And when I discovered that I could make my favorite food healthy, I wondered what else I could do in the kitchen.

The games began!

When I realized that chicken nuggets could be made healthy, I couldn’t be stopped. What else could I make healthier? French fries? Burgers? How could I hide vegetables in food? Could I make broccoli taste like tater tots?

That one is a big fat NO.

And that’s where I stopped for a long time and experienced a lot of failure. I spent a good two years rotating healthier versions of my favorite foods, and struggling to stomach anything else. I was losing weight, feeling better, but still frustrated that my palate was so small. I wanted to like vegetables SO BAD.

Back to the drawing board…

And that’s when I went back to square one with researching picky eating. I looked into cognitive behavioral therapy, and decided to start experimenting with exposure one step at a time. Once a week, I picked out a new vegetable at the store and researched recipes. I would find the best looking recipes, cook them up, and research the nutritional value of said vegetable while it was cooking.

Then, I plated it up. Sometimes I only ate one bite, other times… I passed it to my husband. But it was a step in the right direction. And he certainly didn’t mind helping me clean my plate.

With time, I gained confidence.

Over time, as I discovered that trying new foods wouldn’t kill me, I became more confident. And every time I liked something new, I felt encouraged to try something else. And then, I made a magical discovery: I didn’t have to like everything, and that was okay.

I discovered a new feeling of neutrality toward food that I’d never felt before. Excitement to try it cooked a new way, hopeful that I could find an even more delicious recipe than before. If I felt neutral now, I knew I could make it better.

I wasn’t looking to tolerate, I wanted true enjoyment

And I got it. Through tons of trial and error, my palate is so much wider. I eat so many foods that past me would have never dreamed of touching, let alone tasting. And its not because I’m tolerating steamed, bitter mush. It’s because I took the time to truly learn to cook, and to adjust the food to suit my needs.

Since I overcame my picky eating habits, I am confident that anyone can get there. Welcome to Nuggies to Nourished, where I’m documenting everything you need to know about overcoming picky eating, written by someone who actually gets it.