I never would have considered myself to be a picky eater when I was younger. But the other day, as I sat eating an orange, it occurred to me how far I’ve come now that I’m “all grown up,” even if I did have juice from an orange dripping down my chin at the age of 39….

It is a fact that when I was a little girl, the only fruit I would eat is an apple. The apple had to be cut into chunks, and it had to be peeled. Otherwise I could not, would not eat it (Sam I am).

When I think about that, two thoughts come to mind:  First: Mom, I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time about trying a strawberry. And second: I am so thankful I have now learned to like so many new foods!

Let’s just reflect a moment on the “never tried a strawberry” apology. For Pete’s sake – it’s not that I really didn’t like strawberries. I don’t believe I’d ever really tried one. The same goes with fresh peaches, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, pears, plums, grapes, oranges, and the list goes on and on. I had decided that I didn’t like any of them before I even tried them. 

I think texture had something to do with my assumption that I would not like these delicious foods. Beyond that, I sure didn’t know what I was missing!

I say all this to encourage you in several ways:

1. If you think you don’t like fruits or vegetables, ask yourself if you’ve ever really given them a chance. I seriously never even tried broccoli until after I was married. I never ate a whole orange until after I became a mother. And I was over the age of thirty when I realized that plums were amazing. I am obviously a slow learner. But I’d like to share that if I can learn, so can you. I’m so glad I did!

2. Focus on eating a variety. Try not to get stuck in a rut. There are so many great fruits and vegetables to choose from. Branch out!

3. If your kids are picky, keep trying and don’t be discouraged. I have definitely learned that my kids’ tastes change and develop with age. (I believe I have learned that about myself too, huh?!)  My pickiest son is now starting to like and eat more fruit and vegetable varieties – finally! That’s because we keep offering them, keep making him try little bites, keep giving them to him in different ways (like in smoothies or on fruit pizza). He has quite a nice, long list of his “favorite” fruits now. 

4. If you’ve tried hard and really don’t like certain fruits or vegetables, it’s okay to move on to other ones. No matter how hard I try, I really don’t like pears. Everyone else in my family loves them. I keep trying them, thinking that maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll bite into one and say, “Mmm, that is so good!” But it hasn’t happened yet because wow pears are so dog-gone grainy. (It’s that texture issue I referred to earlier, apparently.)   But guess what? My world goes on, even without pears because while I really don’t like them, I really, really like about three dozen other fruits. So I’m good to go.

I’m also proud to say that I don’t have to peel my apples anymore, or eat them only in the form of chunks – just in case you were wondering. ;)

Do you have picky eaters in your household? Have you found that you like more fruits and vegetables now that you are older? What tricks have you found to help your family eat more fruits and vegetables?